Queen Victoria
by EndlessNight101
Summary: Victoria had lived a normal life until that faithful night, when everything was ripped away, including her mortal existance... When her torture is finished, what will she decide to do with her new life? Stay with her killer?. R&R! No longer a OneShot...
1. Attack Death Survival

**_AN: So this is actually based on a weird dream I had the other night (that's what I get for staying up so late reading Breaking Dawn). I figured it would be pretty good One-shot material, but then I figured "Eh, why not give it a few more chapters"  
I love any and all reviews!!  
Enjoy!  
And obviously I don't own Twilight or it's characters. Otherwise, I would be rolling in money right now..._**

**(Attacked)  
**The wind rattled the shudders of the small home that winter night. Despite the frigid temperatures of the cold December night, the eldest daughter of the Bray house found herself tossing and turning with heat.  
_  
How much wood did Millie put on the fire? She's going to burn the house down with flames that hot.  
_Victoria groaned in her sleep as she kicked her blankets off her in desperation. She could feel sweat on every inch of her body, and was tempted to get up and throw some water on the fire. _That would just make a lot of smoke again... and Daddy would lecture me on how I have to be a little smarter than that to be a good wife.  
_Victoria adjusted herself again, leaning against the wall in an attempt to get cool. Sharing a room with her sisters was not her idea of a happy household, but she didn't have much of a choice. Her father has lost his job at the general store in town a little over a year ago, having been told that the whole country couldn't afford to pay their employees. He was never satisfied with that answer, and occasionally cursed his parents for bringing him over here when he was a boy. Eustace Bray wasn't used to failure.

Shirley Bray, however, had remained the family rock and refuge since the Depression began. When her sons and their wives came home, not able to afford their own homes and food, she welcomed them all in with open arms. Eustace had insisted that his sons help around the house, try and find a job, and somehow find food all at the same time. Lucky for the Bray daughters, like Victoria, who was old enough to be married (but poor enough to keep any good man away, unfortunately), Eustace had never allowed that they do anything but help their mother around the house.

Living with 9 people in a 3 bedroom house was more than cozy; it was downright uncomfortable. What had once been Victoria's room after her brothers Paul and Robert had moved out was now theirs again, along with their wives. She was forced to live with her sisters again, like she did when she was 15.  
_I'm old enough to be married, and I have to sleep with my little sisters like I'm still a child... _she thought as she turned against the wall again. Unfortunately, as much as she wanted to shout and break free of her parent's home, no one in the town could afford to do any such thing; her brothers were living proof.

Tossing and turning had become part of all of their lives. Her father tossed because he worried about their financial future, and whether they could survive. Her mother worried about her children, and how their lives would get on. Paul and Robert worried about how long they would have to shack up in one room with each other _and_ their wives. Mildred and Ruth were only concerned about what they would be getting for Christmas next week, if they got anything at all.

And all Victoria wanted to do was get out. Get away from her siblings that she had to take care of; from the house that had become too crowded for her; from her father that kept an iron fist of tradition on the family, preventing any of the girls from working.  
_  
If we could work, we would make money twice as fast! _Victoria remarked in her head again something she had already told her father once. Surely Victoria, her mother, and her sisters-in-law could work as shop keepers or something! Lots of women made a good living before all of this happened. _With my luck, I'd get stuck in a butcher shop... _Victoria sighed, clearly no longer as deep asleep as she was before. _And I can't stand the sight of raw meat and blood as it is..._ she added, sighing aloud. Mildred's scorching heat from the fire had made her restless. She pressed as much of her body against the wall, trying to absorb some of the cold from outside.

A gust of wind filled the room and Victoria felt a wave of relief as the cold air rushed over her skin.  
"Thank you, Mildred" she mumbled in her half-asleep state. She smiled to herself as she leaned away from the wall to absorb more of the cooling breeze.  
But then, almost second later, the source was cut off, and Victoria heard several cracks around her, loud enough to stir her. She sat up drowsily, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes. She could see the curtains on the window flapping from the impact of closing, but there was no one standing near it. _Maybe I dreamed it... _she thought, looking over to see her sisters in their beds, sound asleep; they apparently had not heard the noise or felt the breeze. Victoria lightly touched her skin and felt that she had goose bumps, and that it was chilled from the midnight winter air. _Who opened the window? _She thought curiously, listening to the sounds of her house. She could hear the fire still crackling in the living room, still pumping heat into the house. She didn't hear her parents moving in the next room, nor did she hear the snoring of Paul across the hall. It was eerily silent now.

The lack of snoring concerned her, and she started to adjust her nightgown, untangling the skirt from her legs. As she swung her feet over the edge, she was suddenly hit by what felt like a freight train. Her body was thrown against the bed so hard that it cracked the wood paneling on the walls. Someone was now on top of her, and she let out a loud shriek of terror. Then, like lightning, she felt a hand like a bear trap enclose around her mouth, cracking the bones in her face as her attacker pulled her forward so she could see in the moonlight.

"Screaming isn't going to help you." He said cockily. Victoria, after she scanned his face and realized that this man was a stranger, felt a wave of terror flood through her, and she began to scream and thrash underneath him. This was what her mother had always warned her about; the men that never asked, but took what they wanted. She had always been told to scream and shout as loud as she could, and flail about until the captor gave up or help came. But no matter how hard she kicked, punched or squirmed, she was utterly pinned down; he was actually laughing at her attempts. "Do you want to end up like your family?" he asked patronizingly. Victoria looked at him with bewilderment; _what on earth did that mean?_ She looked over at Mildred, lying peacefully asleep. Upon further inspection, she wasn't breathing. She lay there completely still, like she was...

Victoria let out a whimper from behind his hand, and he only smirked. "Yes, she's dead. Her neck snapped so easily, as did the rest." He mused slowly. _The rest?_ She thought, now frantically thrashing her body to get away"Do you promise not to scream? I don't want to have to hurt you like I did them." He asked like he was talking to a child. Victoria could feel the tears building up behind her eyes; whether it was the pain, or hearing that her family had just been killed by this man, whoever he was, she couldn't help the tears flowing from her terrified eyes. She locked her eyes with his and felt fear shudder through her; his eyes were a dark red, like the devil! She felt that she couldn't scream anymore; he body was completely frozen. "Good." He said, releasing her face, but not his pin. Victoria felt her body trembling with fear as she stared at him from a distance now. He had long hair that she couldn't make out the colour of, those frightening eyes, and couldn't be more that 23 years old. His eyes darted across her face so fast that it flashed by in a blur, and he began to chuckle to himself.

"Why?" she croaked involuntarily. He looked at her once again like she were a child and brought his face right beside hers, and to Victoria's shock and disgust, took a long sniff of her hair. He moaned something in her ear that made her think he'd smelt a steak or something. She felt her lips, although trembling with fear, contort into a snarl of disgust.

"Because you smell _delicious_." He whispered in her ear. Victoria felt her heart racing faster than it ever had; was he going to kill her? Is that why he was here? To murder her whole family because she smelled good?

"What do you want?! Why did you kill them!" she cried, her tears flowing out of her eyes freely as she took another look at Mildred and Ruth, still unmoving, and slowly turning whiter in the moonlight. Her assailant laughed and leaned back from her face to smile smugly.

"Well, your screams would have woken them up, wouldn't it? And I'm not in the mood to deal with all of them alive." He smirked, looking at her with those red eyes again "All I wanted was you." He added, licking his lips a little. "I wish you knew how good you smell to me." He leaned in and nuzzled her neck this time, burying himself in her red curls.

Victoria let out a scream, despite his threat and the pain he bestowed moments ago. Whatever this guy was, he was sick, and she knew that if she screamed loud enough, her neighbours down the road would surely hear her. But almost as soon as the scream escaped her, his hand was around her throat, cutting off her voice at the source. She felt herself struggle without air, smacking him violently as she tried to get him off her, but it was like beating a brick wall. He only smiled down at her and didn't even seem phased by her fight.

"And the sad part is," he smirked, adjusting his fingers on her neck "I'm not even trying" he said quietly before he took his hand off her neck. Suddenly, as she felt her body being turned and flung around on the bed, she was sitting up against the corner of her bed, and he was only inches away from her, holding both her arms behind her back. She was trapped completely, and there wasn't a soul around to help her. "Now, before we begin, what did I say about screaming?" he asked, moving his head from side to side like a bird.

She felt the tears falling again, knowing that her fight would be useless against him, whatever he was. Her breathing sped up and her heart raced as she tried to calm down, but her mind was running too fast. What was he going to do to her now? Was he going to break her neck too, and let out that disgusting crack that she had heard only minutes before when he killed her whole family? Or was he going to do something much worse; make her suffer a little longer while he had his fun with her.

"That's right; I want you to be as silent as you can. I don't expect that you won't feel pain, but I can't stand to hear you shrieking." He said, watching her face carefully. "The first time I saw you, you let out that God awful scream of yours, and I've hated it ever since." He said, his spare hand starting to undo the buttons of her nightdress. Despite her fear, she let out another scream and tried to kick him off. "And every time you scream, I'm going to make it worse." He promised through his teeth, tugging on her wrists, causing her to hit her head on the bed post, surely cutting her head. She shouted in pain and felt more tears ripple out of her, but she bit her lip as she tried to avoid any more pain. He continued to work on the buttons of her clothing.

"When I first saw you, you were with that shoe maker-"

"David!" she breathed, but he rammed his face against her check again, causing her to whimper in fear again.

"_David _is not what you think he is." He chuckled in her ear, still toying with her nightdress "He's not even human."  
_  
This man is insane! How can someone not be human?! _Victoria thought as she tried to pull her arms out of his grip again, but he pulled them harshly down again, hitting her head once again on the bedpost. She felt a bit faint after that hit, but felt him shake it off; what she would give to be passed out right now...

"I figured I'd beat him to the prize; hunt you down before he could gather up the nerves to do it himself." He said smoothly in her ear.

"Hunt me? Wha-"

"Shh, no talking! I want you to save your voice." He hissed in her ear, and Victoria felt her trembling lips close in terror.

_This is it, _she thought _He's going to kill me after he's finished with me. _The reality of what was happening was finally setting it. Her entire family had been slaughtered within a matter of seconds, and he was simply toying with her for his own pleasure. Victoria could see the body of her sister behind him and she felt her body tremble with agony and cold-blooded fear. _If only I could look forward to something so painless... _she mourned in her head _I'm not almost glad that he spared my mother and sisters from this; it would be more torturous to witness then to actually be experiencing it. _

Apparently not satisfied with how far he was getting starting at the top, Victoria felt his ice cold hands push the skirt of her nightgown up to her waist, causing a loud sob to fall out of her mouth. Her body shook uncontrollably at the thought of what was going to happen next. Her entire life had flashed before her in a moment; the boys she had wanted to marry, the men that had wanted to marry her. It was all for this, and it was now about to be stolen.

"Before we continue," he said, pausing for a moment and catching her face to stare at him with his spare hand. He had yet to release her wrists, even though they would be useless to fight against a monster like this. "I feel we should be properly introduced so you can scream my name in fear. I'm James." He smirked, baring his white teeth that gleamed in the dark. He let out a low growl and slammed her against the corner and bedpost once again, and continued with his fun.

**(Death)  
**When she awoke several hours later, she wasn't sure if it was all a horrible dream. There was no way in her mind that someone could have broken into her home, killed her family, and abused her so violently in a place like Timberland, Ohio. Things like that just didn't happen in such a small town! But when her eyes adjusted from their blur of unconsciousness, she saw that Mildred was indeed sleeping still, in the exact same position as last night, and was whiter than ever. Victoria tried to open her mouth to scream, but her voice was gone; no doubt she had been screaming all night.  
She tried to move out of her bed, but instantly felt a sharp shot of pain all along her limbs. If she hadn't broken her arm once before when she was 10, she wouldn't have understood that _all _her limbs were now broken. Her hoarse voice let out something that sounded like a shrill cry of pain, but she knew she was still helpless. And when the man, James, appeared in front of her in a blur of motion, she closed her eyes in fear.

"I didn't think you would be so breakable." He chuckled as he lifted her arm and dropped in back on the bed, sending another shock of pain through her that made her eyes open wide again. She bit her bottom lip to stop from screaming, and actually drew blood, which James seemed very intrigued by. "Allow me." 

He smiled, his head cocked to the side like a bird again. He reached out towards her face, which she recoiled away from at first, but her pain stopped her from escaping. To her surprise, he brushed his thumb against her bleeding lip and then stuck it into his mouth. He closed his eyes and grinned like he was satisfied with the taste. "Mmm, you do taste rather sweet, despite how vicious you really are." He said, kneeling down so his face was in line with hers. "I saw what you did to those boys; Kyle, Henry, and even your precious David. You're a tease, Victoria" she shuddered as he said her name "And when I saw that David was madly in love with you, despite his recent condition that he picked up at college a few years ago, I couldn't resist making an example of you." He chuckled again "You teased him so much that you brought the wrong attention to yourself. You see, David is like me; we like humans like you a little more than the average man." He took his finger again and pulled the blood off her lips again "And like David, you taste rather good." He added, once again licking the blood off his finger. "But I beat him to it." James said triumphantly to himself.

"Now, what should I do with you?" he said curiously, looking down at her body, lying crippled on the bed. Her limbs were twisted and broken in strange directions, and her once ivory white nightgown was covered in her blood and the dirt off his hands. "You're not very presentable." He chuckled, moving a curl out of her face. Her red curls were now a shade darker, since the wound in the back of her head was spilling crimson onto those fiery curls. "I suppose, "he pondered to himself "I could spare you a mortal death. That is by far the worst sentence I could give you. Not to mention it would be long and painful since you would just be lying here, bleeding out." Victoria shudder at the thought of lying her helpless with her family rotting around her. But then again, she felt so empty and lost now that it didn't matter. Her family was dead, killed by the same man who had stolen from her what was supposed to belong to her husband in the future. James had stolen everything away from her.

"I could make you more powerful than anything you've ever seen and experienced." He whispered in her ear, and yet she felt no air moving past her. "Make you immortal; make you something so beautiful that you'll want to spend your entire existence flaunting in it." He paused for a moment as he took a deep whiff of her bloody hair "Like I do."

Victoria felt a small twitch of fear go through her. "It won't kill you either." James added, watching her curiously, trying to read her dead eyes. "It will give you another life. One where food is endless; where things like the depression are good for people like us. You'll never feel poor and useless again." He paused to move another curl from her face. She still couldn't move, afraid that if she tried to sit up, her spine would break. "And people like me won't hurt you anymore." He added with a devilish smile. "It's really easy; all you have to do is say my name, and it's a little pin-prick, and then you're a goddess among mortal insects." He promised, cocking his head to the side as he waited for her response.

_What an offer! _She thought, closing her eyes as she tried to escape his bone chilling gaze with those red eyes. _Die in pain, or let him 'save' me... the man who just tortured me for hours! _Another wave of pain hit her, this time across her chest. James in frustration with her lack of an immediate answer had slammed his sledgehammer like fist into her ribs. Victoria managed to scream out past her ragged vocal chords and felt her lung and heart starting to falter. _What does it matter? I'd rather join my family again, despite all of this._

"I-I'd rat-ther die then b-be li-ike _you_." She managed, her voice stopping and starting as it gave out. She opened her eyes and face him again, her face putting on the air that she was not afraid.

James clicked his tongue in disappointment and shook his head slowly. "Well, that was the wrong choice." He said, grabbing her by her hair and pulling her up to meet him standing. Victoria was too weak to scream or cry out now; she was about to die, and she knew it. In her head, she began to recite a small prayer, her lips barely moving with her as she tried to block out his presence and the pain. "But no matter; I didn't care what your choice was anyways." He smirked.

Then, much to Victoria's shock, he bared his teeth again and lunged himself at her, knocking her back onto the bed, making every broken bone in her body send unbearable shrills of pain to her brain. One more pain had now reached her however; something on her neck that had sliced in and clamped down like a barbwire. She opened her eyes from almost passing out and saw that James had his mouth around the side of her neck, biting with razor sharp teeth into her flesh. She tried to raise her arms to push him off, but the broken bones now tore through the skin, causing her to shudder again with pain. She felt her mind shutting down. _Now I know I'm dying _she thought, her eyes lazily looking over at her sister, dead and innocent like the rest of her family _Wait for me; I'll be there soon. _She called in her head, praying again.

Something caught her eye as she felt her mind giving way; blood, dripping down the front of her already stained nightgown. When Victoria realize that the source was her neck, she felt her body and mind finally crack under the strain of her agony, and everything went black again.

**(Survival)  
**If Victoria had thought that all the pain and anguish of before had been more than she could bare, then what she now felt was surely hells fire burning every part of her.  
_I must be in hell. _She thought as she screamed and withered in pain on her bed, every inch of her body burning like she was trapped in a cremator. _What did I do to deserve this?! Surely the one or two boys that I kissed weren't that bad! And the candy I stole from my father's store when I was 8 can't count either!  
"_HOW IS THIS FAIR!? HAVEN'T I SUFFERED ENOUGH!?" she shouted to her ceiling. Somewhere beside her, she heard James laughing.

When the pain had started to let up, Victoria's mind was already broken. She had convinced herself that she had been damned to hell, and that James had clearly been sent by God to punish her for whatever she had done. Because she couldn't figure out why she was being punished so harshly, she felt her sanity slipping away. "I am innocent!" she would call out every few minutes throughout her ordeal, and the devil with his hell-fire eyes would laugh aloud at her. She was beginning to hear different voices and echoes in her head; angels singing, angels screaming. Several times, she thought that James's voice was that of God, and that he was here to spare her from her damnation. But when she caught a glimpse of those red eyes, she felt her faith torn away from her again. Now she knew that there was no God coming for her, and only this fiery pain of hell.

At last, the fire stopped. Victoria opened her eyes and blinked away the bright sunlight reflecting on the snow outside.  
"About time." James mused from beside her "I've been starving waiting for you to wake up." He said, walking over and standing beside her. Victoria felt a rage flow through her, and wanted to strangle him. She lifted her fingers ever so slightly off the bed, and before she knew it, they were outside in the snow; she had blasted him through her bedroom wall. James laughed heartily at her face when she saw what she had done. Victoria let out a growl that could only be described as an animals and closed her fists around his neck. He began to show signs of pain, but he wasn't suffering enough.

"I don't need air" he said through his teeth, kicking her off him "Neither do you if you would pause for a minute to examine yourself." He said in a low voice. Victoria stood up at an impossibly fast speed and looked at her skin, shining like the snow itself. Her body was completely healed; all the injuries James had caused were gone. She felt her chest to see if her ribs were healed and felt something alarming; nothing. She wasn't breathing, and her heart wasn't beating.

"Impossible." She whispered, looking up at James with shock.

"Nice eyes" he smirked, tossing her a piece of glass from the broken window. Victoria looked cautiously into the glass's reflection and then dropped it onto the frozen ground; she had his eyes!

"What did you do to me?!" she screamed, turning and lunging at him. They flew the length of her backyard and landed 50 feet away in the side of the fence. James laughed very hard at this and grabbed her by the shoulders, rolling on top of her and holding her down on the ground.

"What I told you I would." He laughed in her face, picking up a piece of her red curls and sniffing it "At least you still smell good" he remarked to himself.

"What am I!?" she shouted, grabbing James by his arms and digging her nails hard into his flesh. He hissed in pain and smacked her across the face. His hits no longer hurt as much as they did before because she had more resistance now.

"You're like me." He smirked, looking at her like a bird again "An immortal God that has the strength of 10 mortal men and the lifespan of thousands."

"Impossible! Nothing can live that-"

"Use your imagination." James interrupted, covering her mouth "Take a deep breath and tell me what you smell." He said smoothly. Victoria narrowed her eyes but did what he said; instantly, she felt her eyes widen with desire and hunger, and her throat burned with the same feeling.

"What_ is_ that!?" she asked as he released her mouth.

"A human." James smirked "And our dinner."

"Dinner? Human? What are we? Canibals?" she laughed manically; this guy was still a nut job.

"Vampires. And you're going to love it." He smirked, jumping off her and landing about 10 feet back. "I would offer to teach you to hunt, but I have a feeling you're a natural."

"Hunt? Like an animal?" she asked, cocking her head to the side as she searched for the source of the smell with her now fantastically improved eyes.

"No, _they're_ the animals!" James corrected, holding out his hand for her to take "There are millions of them, and only hundreds of us." He said, waving his hand around him, like he was presenting the entire human population to her. "They're like cows or chickens to us; too insignificant to be cared for, but delicious and essential to our survival."

"And how do humans taste?" she asked curiously, taking a single skip that landed her a foot away from him.

"You're taking to it quickly." He smirked "And they taste like the sweetest chocolate and the finest steak... only 100 times better."

"Mmm, that does sound good." She said, turning her head to look out into the small forest behind her house "But I have a small issue..." she mumbled before she turned and leapt at James again, trying to take him down, her teeth bared and hissing in an attack. James, however, was faster and more agile then her, and managed to grab her by the wrists and slammed her into a tree. The shock from their hit broke off 2 frozen limbs from above them.

"You are a natural, aren't you? But I wouldn't suggest doing that again." He said firmly, his red eyes glaring into hers "I'm the reason you're not lying in there with the rest of your mortal family." He hissed. The memory of her dead family brought her back down the earth, and she felt perhaps she might cry, but she couldn't feel any tears or trembling. "Don't make me regret what I've made of you." He added, tossing her to the ground 15 feet away from the tree. Victoria stood instantly and jumped in front of him.

"So what do you expect me to do? Follow you around?! You raped me and killed my family!" she shrieked, grabbing him by his coat. James chuckled and looked down at the ground before he grabbed her by her arms and threw her back into her house, putting yet another hole in the wall. She now lay in the living room of her home, staring up at the ceiling again. James jumped in beside her and looked down like she was a child again.

"I'm the only person you have now. I suggest you get used to it." He smirked "How are you going to escape people more powerful than me without help _from _me? I suppose you could have joined David, but he's fled the town when he heard your screams for the past 3 days... not to mention I may have shoved it in his face about what I'd beaten him to."

"David knows?" she breathed, standing in a split second and looking at herself in the mirror above the fireplace; her face had improved now, smooth and perfect with her pale skin. Aside from the eyes, she looked like an angelic form of her former self. James appeared beside her and put his hands on her shoulders, looking at her with the devilish smile in the mirror.

"He's one of us too, but he's too frightened of me to come back to this town again." He said lazily, putting his face against her neck again and biting her lightly. Victoria spun away from him and accidently threw herself into the fireplace, knocking the mirror off the wall and shattering it into 1000 pieces. "I think that's 7 years bad luck..." he smirked "Lucky for us, we have centuries to live." He said, reaching out and cupping her face in one of his hands. "Do you want to know why I stopped David from achieving his goal? Aside from for my own amusement."

"Do I have a choice of hearing it?" Victoria spat. James smiled and licked his lips a little bit, turning her face to look at him.

"Because I like that. I love that fire in you. And I wanted you all to myself." He said, pushing her head a little harder into the fireplace, which began to crack with the pressure. And then, he leaned in and kissed Victoria so hard that she thought he was trying to eat her face off. She froze in confusion and shock, but then found the sense to push him off, growling at his advances. He laughed again, as he had every time she defended herself.

"Don't worry; you'll get used to it." He smirked, wiping the side of his mouth." And I know how to kill you, so I suggest that you do as I say. Or that fire you just experience will be real, since there is no hope for Heavan after this life." he threatened, and then cheerfully clapped his hands together "Now, let's get you some food." He suggested. "And some new clothes, I think." He chuckled, looking at her in the bloody nightgown. Victoria looked down and growled at him again. He had a valid point, unfortunately; she had no idea how to be a vampire, and he surely knew how to destroy her. A new plan was developing in her head now...

_If I stay long enough, I can figure out a way to get him back... I'll kill the bastard for what he's done to me... Avenge my family for this horror. _She thought bitterly as she shoved him out of the way and went to her room to change. Her sisters were still lying on the beds, omitting a rather disgusting odour now.

"Hurry up, Queen Victoria." James called, now holding a burning piece of cloth, doused in gasoline from the smell of it.

"Queen Victoria?" she laughed as she changed into her new clothes in the blink of an eye.

"Well, there aren't any Goddess's that have the same ring to you as Queen Victoria." He smirked before he tossed the burning material on the couch, which instantly burst into flames. "And trust me; with this much power, you're going to feel like a Queen in no time..." Then James grabbed her forcefully by the arm, and they took off running into the forest, the smell of burning wood and bodies fading away with every step.

**_AN: I would really appriciate it if you would review!! Seriously, I will love you for it!! Not really, but you get the idea... :)_**


	2. Stalked Mundane Escape

**_AN: Soooo.... Sorry I took forever to update!! Haha. I've been so busy with school and writing my other fic that I just didn't feel motivated at the time to re-write the work that I lost when my external hard drive crapped out on me._**

But, as I expected, the movie reinspired me! I thought it was a fantastic movie... surprisingly humerous too! And of course, I loved Victoria! Hense why I kicked myself in the butt and finished writing this chapter at last!

Hope you enjoy it! :P

**(Stalked)**  
The body landed with a thud on the ground as Victoria dropped the heavy man, who had been her latest meal. She took a quick glance around and couldn't help but smile; 7 bodies of former Loggers lay in crumpled pies from where she and James had left them. When they ambushed the camp, James had sent her in first to distract them (which she did), and then he snuck in through the back and chased them out... right into the very eager and very hungry arms of Victoria. They made a good team, much to Victoria's dismay. The bloodshed would have been unbearable to any human, including to Victoria at one time. But now, it has the same effect as watching a good merlot being flung around; she wanted to save every drop for herself.

"Was that the last one, Queenie?" James called as he leapt from the roof.  
Victoria rolled her eyes; after 6 months of being a vampire, she was now beginning to enjoy her newfound power and freedom. No longer did she have to fear men, or the everyday dangers that lurked around every corner in a human life. Instead, _she_ was now the danger to any human that was as unfortunate as to walk past her in the dark of night.

The only downside was that James still followed her _everywhere_.

She could not be rid of him! She would run at full speed, finding herself up in the Arctic Circle one day and down in Mexico the next, and yet he would _still _only be a few steps behind her. When he had told her he was a great tracker she thought he meant of _humans_, not vampires, and in particular, not _her!_

"No, I think there were a few more that ran into the forest." She replied dully. James scrunched his eyebrows and looked towards the forest. She knew he wasn't going to fall for it as soon as he took in a whiff of that clean, forest air that had no hint of human in it. Still, Victoria instantly turned and ran full speed into the forest, dodging trees and rocks as she attempted to escape. Again.

She didn't get very far. The emptiness of the forest made tracking that much easier for James, and in a matter of minutes, Victoria felt herself ploughed over by her hunter.  
"Nice try Queenie, but you'd need a bigger head start then that to even have a chance." He smiled as she pushed herself off the ground. He of course was already standing, leaning casually against a tree like nothing had happened.

"Funny; if I remember correctly, I've kept you on the hunt for days at a time." Victoria growled, brushing the dirt and leaves off her from the tackle.

James laughed out loud and picked a leaf thoughtlessly out of his hair. "Did you think I was _trying_ to catch you?" Victoria felt a snarl escape her lips at his response "If I were trying, you wouldn't have even taken 2 steps without me dragging you back."

"I doubt that." She hissed before she jumped straight up into the air. She landed at the top of one of the giant pine trees that made up the surrounding wilderness. Standing on the top-most limb, she focused her vision on the horizon. In an instant, her eyes became like telescopes, focusing on details that no human could ever see from miles away like her. James had told her that some vampires got gifts when they were created, and usually helped them with whatever they were good at as humans. From that statement, she gathered that James must have been some sort of animal with the way he hunted! But it made sense for her; she had been the sharpest shot in Timberlake Ohio for 6 years running, having won the shooting derby every year, beating out all the boys. Now her new eyes were used to look for prey from miles away, and plan out where to go based on how sunny the weather looked from far away.

"Don't try and use my gift to you against me!" James growled. He was in mid-air, and before Victoria could even process what was happening, James ripped her down out of the tree, sending her crashing down 50 metres, through cracking limbs and pine needles that broke away. She landed with a great thud on the ground, making a small crater in the ground around her. She lay there for a moment and then let out a great roar of fury.

"For your information, _James_," she shouted, jumping out of the hole she had created and stormed over to him. He was leaning on the tree again, laughing at her reaction as usual. She was so frustrated with him that she shoved his body hard, sending him flying back into a tree, which gave way under the shock and fell over. He was now laughing even harder. "I was looking for somewhere to go next! I get very bored sitting in a forest, doing nothing." She said, turning back from him and walking towards the sound of water rushing past.

"How can you be _bored_, Queenie?" James chuckled, suddenly appearing at her side. She rolled her eyes and balled up her fists with the rage that was starting to boil in her. "You have an eternity to do whatever you want, and you're _bored_?"

"But we can't _sleep_!" she hissed, shoving him away from her again with one hand. He laughed aloud again as he took out another tree, but was back beside her in a mere second.  
"When you're human, you can just sleep through a good chunk of your life. Time passes much faster that way, and life seems almost bearable!" she sighed, stopping at the river that was rushing past, the cold water as clear as glass. "There is no way to pass the time now. I can't just skip a few hours of this existence to give my mind a rest."

"Well, there are other ways to pass time, but it won't give your mind a rest. Or your body for that matter." James said beside her, baring his teeth with the grin that she hated. She knew exactly what he was alluding to, and it made her growl again in fury.

"_Never_ James. If that's why you follow me around, then you may as well leave." she snarled, her teeth bore at the threat like an angry wolf. But, of course, James was unshaken as usual by her threats.

"Never say never, Queenie." He smirked, taking the time to look her over very obviously. If she were still human, she would surely have blushed at how blatant he was with everything. And if she were still human, surely the memories of their first meeting would be ripping through her right now.

But now, as a vampire, her human memories seemed like an old movie, reeled off over and over with no feeling. She didn't morn anymore for her mortal family, who she now knew she couldn't have saved if she tried. She didn't think about the God that she used to worship, for if he truly loved her and existed, then he wouldn't have let this happen to her. And most of all, she didn't cry about the life that had been taken away from her. When she thought about all the pain and sorrow that she was escaping, she almost felt relieved that James had saved her (not that she would ever tell _him _that).

The only thing that did remain from her last moments as a human were the feelings of hatred and rage that she felt towards James. The vow she had taken to destroy him for what he did to her was still holding in her head. The problem was that she had yet to see even the slightest hint of _how_ to do it. Whatever the secret was, James kept it very closely guarded.

"What are you thinking about Queenie?" James said smoothly, his face right beside hers. Despite all her heightened senses, he had caught her off guard, and she flinched a little at his voice. He chuckled lightly under his breath picked up one of her red curls. "Mmm, you still smell so good."

"Why don't you stop calling me Queenie? You know I hate it." She hissed, moving her head away so the curl dropped out of his fingers.

"I like the name for you. And why wouldn't you want to be called that? Queen Victoria was an excellent monarch." He smirked.

"Yes she was. And last time I checked, there was no mention of a _James_ anywhere in her reign." She quipped, shoving James away from her again. But this time, he caught her arm and yanked her back into his arms, which were wrapped around her like metal bars. "Let go of me or so help me-"

"You'll what?" he laughed "Try and run away? Push me into a tree? Drown me?" he craned his neck over her shoulder so she could see him expression "Not very nice, are you Queenie?" he pouted dramatically.

"Just you wait until I figure out how to destroy yo-" she cut herself off; she didn't mean for him to hear that. As she had expected, James let out a growl of fury. What Victoria didn't expect was that he shoved her into the fast moving river.

Even though she was completely immune to any death the water could bring her, the fast moving current still carried her downstream. When she was finally able to get enough footing, she leapt out of the river. But while she was in mid-air, she was tackled down by James, landing on a muddy bank with him on top of her. "So _that's _you diabolical revenge plan, is it?" he smirked. Victoria tried to push him off, but despite her fading newborn strength, he was stronger and faster than her. "Poor Queenie; did you really think I was going to tell you how to destroy a vampire? Or let anyone else tell you?" he chuckled, and then his hand, lightning fast, shot forward and grabbed her neck, holding her head still on the ground. "I _created_ you. And I won't let my own creation destroy me." He laughed. "If anything, I will destroy _you _before you can ever figure it out!" he added.

"Then leave me alone if you're_ so_ offended by it!" Victoria spat, punching him in the face, which made him back off of her. "What did you expect me to do? Turn around and love you? You-"

"Murdered your family, tortured you, blah blah blah." James mimicked her. Victoria growled and hit him again, which was returned by a very swift and very painful punch from James.  
She froze for a moment as she felt the crack in her jaw. "Don't you ever get sick of say all that? Cause I get really sick of hearing it."

"Then LEAVE!" she screamed, jumping up and bounding across the river. James stood on the other side, watching her with a patronizing grin "James, I don't need you. I don't want you! I can take care of myself!" she shouted.

"Can you?" James asked in a light tone.

Victoria stared at him for a moment, her jaw open with shock. "What do you mean '_can I_'?" she gasped "Of course I can! _I'm_ the one who has all the newborn strength and speed! _I_ have the special eyes!"

"And when your strength fades? What will you do then? There are some very territorial vampires out there." James said, casually walking through the river, not even shaken by the current. "Or, knowing you and your appetite, you'll eat every human in a city, and have the vampire authority descend on you like the fires of hell."

"Vampire authority?" she sniffed a small laugh, thinking he had to be making that up.

"Oh yes. They're called the Volturi, and they don't like naughty newborns like you." James said very firmly, stepping out of the river and now standing only a few feet away from her. "They travel far and wide to make sure that our species is kept a secret, and not flashed in the face of everyone in society. _That's_ why we can't go walking around in a city in the daylight."

"I thought it was because we would get a lot of attention!" Victoria shot back stubbornly. James chuckled and shook his head slowly.

"Well, you _will _get a lot of attention. And then the Volturi will destroy you for being so ignorant to the rules."

"We have _rules_?"

"Rules that you don't understand or know." He quipped quickly. "See why it's better to stay with me? I've got a 150 years of experience; you have 6 months."

"A 150 _years_?" Victoria's eyes widened "You're _that _old?"

James smirked and took a step forward "As of last month." He said smoothly. "So you see, Queenie." He smirked at the nickname again, making her snarl quietly at his arrogance "It's better to stick with me, and learn the ropes a little better."

"Oh, and _then_ you'll let me go!?" Victoria sneered viciously.

James smirked, but didn't say anything for a moment. Victoria felt her anger turn to confusion as he just stared at her. _What is he thinking? _She thought, glaring right back into his red eyes. "You make it sound as if I'm keeping you prisoner." He replied in that condescending tone that she hated.

"You _are_! I believe stalking can fall under imprisonment in this case!" she said in a low, angry tone through a locked jaw.

He stared at her with his frightening eyes, then took a step closer to her, cornering her against a rock cliff. Despite the human memories that flashed before her eyes, she focused her vampire sense on not appearing afraid. She locked her narrowed eyes with him, tensed her body, and ground her teeth to prevent any sounds from escaping her. "You will never be rid of me, Victoria." He smirked, his eyes matching his expression. "But I can be rid of you if I tire of you." He added, now only inches from her face with his. Victoria ground her teeth so hard together she thought they might start to make cracking noises. "And I won't just let you walk away; I'll kill you." She stopped grinding her teeth now and her eyes were no longer narrow slits. She felt a wave of fear wash over her quickly; as much as she hated James, she _liked_ being a vampire... and a live one at that! "So keep that in mind next time you try and run away" he whispered, yet to break eye contact with her, but now so close that she could see every detail of his blood red eyes.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment, and all they could hear was the rustle of a nearby heard of deer scurrying away. Then, without any sign or warning, James closed the gap between them and kissed her, the same violent manner he always did. Victoria froze and refused to move for the first instant, and then pressed her hands on his rock hard chest and pushed him off her. As usual, he chuckled in amusement at her. Victoria only shook her head at him, and then started to walk down the river's edge; she would be damned if she let him get to her, but at the same time she couldn't stand it when he did that!

"And where are you off to, Victoria?" he called to her, walking in perfect pace with her from across the river. She rolled her eyes and ignored him for a few minutes, only staring straight ahead as her body floated along the surface of the earth, moving so fast as she walked that her feet barely touched the ground. "Aren't you going to tell me where you're leading me, Queenie?" James teased again, laughing at her.

"I saw a village about 10 miles from here." She stated through a locked jaw, still not looking over at him.

"Surely you can't be hungry again!" James laughed "Good Lord, you'd suck the world dry if you could, wouldn't you?"

"And you would torture and tease it as I did." Victoria remarked smartly, taking an extra long stride to bring herself ahead of him.

**(Mundane)  
**After Victoria ate, yet again, she retreated back from the village up into the mountains, finding an exposed cliff peak that had a view all the way to the horizon. She was lying on her stomach on the ground, mindlessly humming to herself as she watched the sun rise in the distance, picking her dirty nails at the same time. The great yellow ball slowly rose in the distance, brightening the forest as its rays came closer and closer to her perch. _I never thought I would hate the sun so much. But it makes life so much more difficult now. _She stared ahead at her new immortal enemy, focusing on it with her vampiric eyes. To her surprise, the light was so bright that it sent sharp waves of pain through her eyes. She hissed at her own stupidity, and turned away from the now fully-risen sun.

"Too much of a good thing will kill you, Queenie." Called the all-too familiar voice of James from a tree about 50 metres away. In one leap, he jumped from the tree and landed on the edge of the cliff, standing in front of her view of the sun. "You shouldn't sit directly in the sun." He said in a much more serious voice.

"Why, am I going to get sunburnt, _father_?" Victoria sneered, hiding her head in her arms, hoping he would just go away.

"No," he said coolly. She could hear him walking around beside her, and then she suddenly felt him pick up her foot, and with one swift motion, dragged her back out of the sunlight and into a small cave behind them. "You'll get in trouble, remember?" he replied smarty, then taking a seat at the front of the cave (most likely so she couldn't escape). Victoria sat up and looked at the mess he had made of her clothing, now covered in grass stains and mud.

"Lovely." She mumbled under her breath. James sniffed a quick laugh, and then stared out the cave door. Victoria did the same for a while, but then found it so boring, watching nothing happen for hours on end, that she sighed and rolled onto her back, staring at the black ceiling instead.

"Something wrong?" James asked; from the sound of his voice, he was obviously smirking. It made Victoria furious the way he always laughed and made fun of her, but she pushed down her rage in an attempt to be civil. She'd had a realization when she was killing one of her victims a few hours ago; you get more bees with honey then vinegar. If she could be at least civil to James, then maybe he would start to open up more about himself... and perhaps accidently reveal how to kill a vampire.

"How did you become a vampire." She asked abruptly. There was silence between them for a moment before James let out an incredulously laugh.

"You go from hating me to asking me about my past?" he inquired in a low voice. "What brought about that change?"

"I'm bored." She sighed, her self-pitty rising inside her again "I can't sleep. I have no way to pass the time, _other_ than what _your_ sick mind wants." James chuckled at her remark, but let her finish "I figure I may as well hear something about you... you already apparently know _everything_ there is to know about me, and I know nothing of you." She sighed again, rolling over onto her stomach again so she could see him. "And since I'm not going to be rid of you for some time, I might as well get to know who I'm stuck with."

James laughed again "You make me sound horrible." He smirked. Victoria rolled her eyes and stared at the cold, dirty stone floor of their shelter from the sun; apparently he was going to be difficult. There was silence in the cave, and all they could hear for a minute was the summer wind blowing past the cave entrance, bringing the songs of a blue jay floating to them. Victoria was intrigued by the silence and looked up for a moment only to see James staring right at her, like he was waiting for her to do that.  
_  
Cocky bastard thinks he knows all about me, does he? _She thought, her mind giving an unconscious hiss. There was another minute of silence, and Victoria had begun to draw shapes in the dirt with her fingers in a feeble attempt to pass the time. If this was how life was going to be for eternity for her, she wasn't sure if she just wanted James to kill her now; put her out of her misery.

"I was born in 1761." He stated suddenly. Victoria looked up at him in surprise only to see him staring at her still, his head cocked to the side like a bird again. He smirked at her reaction, which caused her to turn back to her drawings on the ground.

"You told me you were only 150 years old." She stated lightly, pretending to be more interested in the scribbles in the mud she was making.

"I am a 150 year old _vampire_. I was 22 when I was changed." He paused, waiting for her to look up again (which she did) "Which makes me?"

"172." Victoria replied with vague amazement.

"You're smart after all, Queenie." He replied condescendingly. She narrowed her eyes at him, but didn't say anything. "My parents moved to America from Ireland, and settled in the middle of a field, known today as Foxborough, Massachusetts. At the time, it was nothing more than a few stores surrounded by farmer's fields. My parents chose to settle in this God-forsaken town, and had my brother first, then me, followed by my 2 younger sisters." He paused and looked out over the horizon at the sun; his skin caught the light and made him shine like a great diamond in the sun. Victoria was at first amazed by their skin, but then grew annoyed with it; it only limited when she could hunt. "My older brother Liam died when I was 14. So needless to say, I inherited all the family chores and burdens from him... including marriage."

"Marriage is a _burden_?" Victoria questioned before she sniffed a quick laugh at his ignorance. _Marriage would have been a saviour for me._ She thought bitterly._  
_  
"When you have to build your house, take care of your own land, your livestock, and you're wife and children, all before you're 25? Yes, it is. You women have it so easy; all you do is sit in the house, make clothes and cook..." he paused, turning back smirking at her indignant expression "Or at least that's what they did back then."

"So you were married?" Victoria asked, trying to steer him back to the point.

"Not quite." He smirked "I had a fiancé... and her name was Charlotte." He paused, cocking his head a little as he looked outside the cave again at the rising sun. "She had hair like the sun, and eyes like the bluest ocean water. My parents met her family while they were sailing over from Ireland, and kept in touch after they settled in America. So of course, when it came time to find marriage arrangements for their children, it only made sense that I would marry their only daughter."

"You sound like you didn't like her." Victoria remarked, looking down at the floor of the cave again, tracing the shape of a heart in the dirt, and then wiping it clean in a blink of an eye.

"No, she was nice enough. I just didn't want to be married... to leave the comfort of my family home to be in charge of my own. Not to mention I wouldn't be able to hunt as much."

"Hunt? Like for food?" she questioned, leaning her face into her dirty hands as she listened carefully.

"Yes, and no. Sometimes for food, but usually for sport or skins. We could have traded with the natives in the area if we really wanted to, but I preferred to track an animal myself." He paused and locked eyes with her again, only half his face still illuminated by the sunlight "Which explains why I'm so good at tracking now."

"Probably." Victoria muttered. "But you haven't answered my question; how did you become a vampire?"  
James chuckled and shook his head slowly "For someone who's bored out of her mind, you sure want to hear the condensed version of a story." Victoria shrugged, but stayed silent. "A few days before my fiancé was to arrive from New York, where she lived, a pack of strangers came through the area. No one knew what they were, but they were hiding in the woods during the day, and came out and night, attacking and murdering anyone they could find. The local authorities thought they were the natives, angry at us taking over their land, but oh were they wrong." He paused again, cracking his neck a little, making a sound so loud that it echoed in the cave. "They came for the 3rd night they were in the area. We were the only house for about a mile in all directions, so of course it was far too easy for them to kill us all slowly. When I saw what they did to my parents, I tried to protect my little sisters, but of course I was no match. They tossed me aside, knocking me out on the floor, while they devoured by sisters."

"But you survived?" Victoria asked, even though she obviously knew the answer.

James nodded his head slowly and stared off somewhere behind Victoria, apparently focusing on his fading human memories. "From what I can remember, the leader told them she was bored with this area, and to 'leave a present' for the villagers." He looked down at Victoria's wide and interested eyes "That 'present' was me. One of them whose thirst was already quenched was told to bite me and leave me, and he did. Their intention was to turn me lose on the area so no one would follow their path of destruction. Everything would be blamed on me instead."

"You mean the village would blame everything on you?" Victoria asked.

"No, the Volturi would. They love to make examples of newborns like that; the ones that go crazy and devour everyone in a town." James smiled at her "From the way you eat, I think you would have been one of their _best_ examples, had I now been here to control you."

Victoria ignored his hint, rolling her eyes yet again "So did you devour a whole village?"

James frowned a little now. "No, I didn't... at that time." He stated in a flat, emotionless voice. "But I did kill my fiancé." He explained. Victoria looked at him with wide, disbelieving eyes. "She happened to stumble onto the farm right as I snapped out of my transformation. Poor Charlotte didn't have a chance... I don't even think she saw me coming when I attacked her."

"You _killed_ your fiancé?" Victoria breathed. "Didn't that hurt you? Weren't you upset!?"

"Well, of course the human in me felt horrible. But I wasn't human anymore, was I?" James smirked a little.

"And how did you figure out _what _you were?" Victoria questioned. If James hadn't stuck around and told her what she was, she would have never known; it's not like being a vampire comes with a book of instructions...

"I used my new sense of smell to track down those who made me. I caught up with them in New Mexico; they were quite impressed at how well I had adjusted thus far, and told me what I was. I asked them all the same questions you did at first; why they made me this, how long could I live without blood, how could I be destroyed." He gave her a sideways glance now.

"And what did they tell you?" Victoria asked before she realized how stupid that was; now he certainly wasn't going to tell her.

"They weren't nearly as smart as I am. They told me without a fuss." He smirked at her, his eyes reflecting the now bright sunlight from the outside of the cave. "So they were a little surprised when I killed them all in revenge of my family." He paused, leaning his body closer to hers and smiling even wider, revealing his white, razor sharp teeth again "Just like you're planning to do with me, right?"

Victoria didn't answer him; there was no point. Witty James had figured it all out, and was now going to use this to mock her every turn now. "I really wish vampires could sleep."

"Why? Because you think it would give you a chance to get away from me?" James teased, stepping out of the sunlight and deeper into the dark cave, sitting only a few feet away from her, both of them facing the entry to their hideout.

"No, it would give _me_ an escape from _you_..." she grumbled as she buried her face in her arms and tried to block him out of her mind. The closest thing she could get to sleep was some weird form of meditation, where if she could just concentrate in listening to something far away, her mind could zone out... and forget all James.

**(Escape)  
**When nightfall came again, and the bright sun of the mid-western states had faded away into dusk, James decided he was hungry, but felt like having fish.  
"You want to eat _fish_? But it just tastes like you're eating sawdust or something." She remarked, taking in the strong whiff of the sawmill nearby, pumping out freshly-cut woodchips.

"Then I'll go to the closest human source I can find." He smirked at her before he jumped down off the mountain ledge and landed with a thud 10 seconds later. "Let's go find some fishermen." He called up to her as she stood atop the cliff, staring down at him. Only with her telescope eyes could she see his smirk and expressive eyes. Victoria over at the orange sunset in the distance, which made her skin sparkle a dim colour of gold in reflection. She knew that she couldn't run from him right now; she would have to figure out a way to escape his tracking abilities... some way that she could have him distracted just long enough to get a big enough head start...

"C'mon Queenie, I'm hungry! We've got a long way to travel for fishermen." He called up to her, his voice reflecting his impatience; he was always impatient when he was hungry.

Victoria sighed and walked off the edge of the cliff, letting the momentary sensation of flying distract her mind. With no fear of death, she could jump off cliffs, climb trees the size of sky risers, and swim in the dark ocean without breathing.  
_  
That's it! _Her mind concluded suddenly. The shock of coming up with this idea distracted her, and caused her to fall hard onto the rocks below, shattering a few.

"That must have hurt." James laughed, watching with his arms crossed, shaking his head slowly. "C'mon, let's get going."

"Where are we going?" Victoria asked, trying to sound as natural as possible; angry and spiteful.

"I think East Coast Canada will do. I don't feel like Frenchmen today, though." He said lightly before he took off in his full speed run.  
_  
Excellent. _She thought with an evil smirk. She took off running after him, her eyes vaguely focused on the trees and mountains that were flying past her.

By the time the sun was about to rise, James had satisfied himself with about 4 unsuspecting fishermen that were getting ready to sail out first thing in the morning. Victoria had picked at a man as well, but found the smell to be revolting, and lost her appetite quickly.  
"What's the matter, Queenie?" he smirked as he tossed the bodies overboard. "Not to your liking? Don't worry, we'll go back to loggers soon." He chuckled to himself. Victoria didn't answer right away; she was distracted as she watched their meal sink deep into the harbour.  
_  
The water is so dark... he'll never notice. _She thought, looking at James out of the corner of her eye, pulling the boots off the man and pulling them on his own feet, then tossing his old pair overboard. He lifted the body effortlessly and tossed him overboard. "Oh wait! He had a nice ring!" She said, taking off her jacket and tossing it onto the floor of the boat. She stepped towards the edge of the boat and prepared to jump over after him.

"Be quick about it Queenie; the sun's about to come up." He shook his head slowly at her.

"Don't worry," she smiled wickedly to herself, but didn't turn around to him. "I won't be long." And with that, she dove off the boat into what would have been the cold, Atlantic waters.

But despite what she told James, she was not after the fisherman's ring. Once she was deep enough, and James could no longer see her through the dark water, she kicked her legs as hard as she could, like she was running underwater at high speed, and swam out of the harbour into the ocean. Every few minutes, she would check over her shoulder to make sure James hadn't caught on and followed her, but there was nothing behind her but dark water.  
_Even trackers as good as you are useless in the water... _She smirked to herself. She slowed her swimming and steered towards the surface, where she cautiously popped her head out of the water; nothing in sight but endless water. The sun was now up, so she knew that James wouldn't be standing at the boat waiting anymore. At last, she had successfully escaped from James! _Now... where to go... _She thought, diving back into the water and kicking her feet in the same direction she was headed. Now that she had broken loose from her captor, she could do what she wanted. Victoria gave an unconscious smile of glee at her freedom, and kicked faster.

**_AN: So that's it for now! More to come eventually. Once I finish The Other Greengrass Girl, I'll have more time to write this one!! And that fic should be done by January at the latest.  
REVIEW PLEASE! I always love to hear what other people think about my work. You could even tell me what you think of the movie if you want! haha_**


	3. Freedom Fleeing Capture

**_AN: Alrighty!! UPDATES!!  
I just want to apologize in advance about the 3 lines of Spanish that I use in this chapter... I got them off a free translation site, and I'm sorry if they're horribly incorrect._**

Other than that, this will probably be the last update before the holidays. I have another story that I'm working hard on, so I'll probably be spending all my holiday free time on that one.

I should also let you guys know that I'm not projecting this chapter to being.... uh.... about 2 or 3 more chapters... maybe more. Depends on where my crazy mind leads me :P

Enjoy this update for now!! 

(Freedom)  
_Mmmm... smell that air! _Victoria thought as she climbed up out of the water on the shores of Charleston, South Carolina. _The scent of Southern air and the Southern people... like candy. _As she climbed ashore at a park, surrounded by fancy houses with people who were clearly unoccupied with the Depression or anything related to it, Victoria rang out her long red hair and straightened her skirt She wore a blue dress with white polka dots on it that she stole off a Spanish woman in Barcelona after she ate her. _Lucky me she was the same size as me... unlucky for her, of course, but such is a mortal life... _

Victoria had literally traveled the world in the past 8 months. She first when to England, but found it too rainy (although it came in handy for hunting during the day), then she swam up to Russia, where she found the taste of vodka in blood unbearable. She then retreated down through the Middle East, but found that she stuck out far too much as it was with her red hair, so she dove back into the ocean and headed down to Australia. There, she spent about 4 months, exploring the land as well as hunting, lingering in the middle of the Outback, a place she had always dreamt of going to. Then, once Australia became boring, she same back towards Europe, cutting through the Red Sea and the Nile to the Mediterranean sea, and making one final stop in Spain, where she picked up her new dress.  
_  
And here I am again... back in North America... _she thought as she stepped forward from the water's edge and started to walk into the city. She had originally feared coming back, since James and his tracking skills would have a much better chance of finding her on this continent. As far as she knew, James had never traveled off the continent, aside from the occasional trip just south of Mexico, but he always returned to the dark, dreary North, where he wouldn't be spotted in the Equator's sunlight. _The chance of him being anywhere near Charleston is one in a million. _She told herself as she made her way through the park slowly, looking into the windows of the wealthy homes. One had a party, serving Southern Comfort and Gin to their guest, as she could see from a block away. Another family was listening to their daughter play a simple but pretty melody on the piano. She had short brown hair, cut to match the style that many women had these days. Victoria watched curiously as she excused herself from the family gathering and ran up the stairs to her room, giving Victoria a very brief look at her shoes.  
_I want them. _Her mind thought instinctively. And without further thought, Victoria sped across the abandon park and leapt up onto the roof of the house, careful not to let her feet make too much noise as she walked around on the rooftop. When the daughter finally entered into a room, she tossed her shoes off carelessly and threw herself onto her bed, pulling out a pen and paper from the bedside table. From what she could read from her hideout just outside the window, it was a letter to her lover.  
_Oh, this is too easy..._ She thought with a chuckle as she jumped in front of the window, and flung it open in one swift and silent motion.

Five minutes later, Victoria jumped down from the roof of the house, landing in the driveway of the house. The poor girl had such a fragile neck that it took absolutely no effort for her to kill her. Then, to cover up her species tracks once she had finished her meal, she took the letter opener and slit the girls throat and wrist, then finished writing the letter, changing the tone from love to a last good-bye. Any minute now, Victoria was sure that the family would come upstairs to check on their daughter, only to find her have committed suicide from the pressures of having to be married so young.  
_Oh, I love these shoes! _Victoria smiled with her bright white teeth, tapping her heels together cheerfully, and setting off skipping through the streets, giving herself a tour of the historic city.

Normally, she would spend about a month in a country, with the exception of Australia, traveling around and reaping havoc on various cities and towns for a few nights at a time. But Victoria knew that it wasn't wise to linger in North America for long, since the chance of running into someone familiar was high.  
_My family is dead, but there are still others in the world that might recognize me... like David. _A sudden thought occurred to her that she had never thought of. _Why don't I go and find David? I have an entire lifetime to do it, and I can't imagine he'd be hard to find... _She remarked, remembering how pale he looked, and how it was only amplified by his white blonde hair. _Did he have red eyes like me? I never even noticed... James was right; I was too much of a tease to care back then. _The mere thought of his name sent an involuntary wave of tension through her, but she ignored it. After James had brought it up, she had to admit that she was a tease, always flirting and using the boys that fell for her flirting to do things for her. _And poor David was one of them... I must find him. Apologize and pray that he still feels the same way about me that he did before._

David was a shoemaker; she knew that much about his mortal disguise. But going back to her old town would be very foolish, since her and her entire family apparently died in a house fire over a year ago. But Victoria recalled that there was a town, in nearby Cuyahoga county, that David often spoke of as being his partner in trade before the Depression.  
_I'll start there. _She thought, setting off in her vampiric run towards the north.

Finding the town of Shaker Heights was nothing for Victoria. After she found Cleveland, it was only a 15 minute run in the middle of the night down a railway line before she found herself immersed in the upper-class neighbourhoods of Shaker Heights. She hid in the attic of the old shoe store that she had been looking for, and then, when a rainy day finally came along 2 days later, and the March sun was blotted out by clouds. Climbing out the back window quietly, she leapt down from the 4th floor and fixed her dress. She had always acquired a coat off a woman in Cleveland, since she had to appear as normal as possible, although this coat was quite possibly the ugliest coat she could have found.  
_No matter. Hopefully David traveled south, and I won't need this coat._

Victoria straightened her hair in the display window reflection, making sure there were no leaves or dirt in it. Then she opened the shop door, which rang a small bell above her head, and entered gracefully into the shop. It smelled like leather and rubber, as she expected. A small man with beady eyes came out of the back room, rubbing his hands on an apron as he entered.  
"Hello there young lady." He said cheerfully "And what can I do for you today? It's rotten weather outside, isn't it? Perhaps a pair of water-resistant boots to replace those dress shoes?" he said cheerfully, glancing down at the same white shoes she had stolen off the girl in Charleston.

Victoria was surprised at how much she spoke, and she had to think on her feet for a moment. "Oh, uh, no that's quite alright." She said quietly, a gentle smile on her face. He was certainly what she expected a local shoemaker to be. "Actually I was wondering...." she broke off for a moment as the scent of his blood filled her nostrils. She put her hands in her pocket and clenched them as hard as she could as she tried to regain her concentration. "I was wondering..." she broke off again. "You see, I'm from a small town North of here, and I used to have my shoes made by a man named David. He mentioned you as a business partner, and I was wondering if you could tell me where he's living now?" she said in a slow, but slightly uneven voice.

The man behind the counter smiled and tapped his hand on a pair of shoes that were resting on a shelf beside him. "Well, if you're looking for shoes made by David, you've come to the right place." He smiled brightly "Business has never been better since David started working here." He added a little louder.

"H-he's here?" Victoria breathed, not expecting to find him so easily.

"Sure he is! He's in the back fixing Mrs. Dobson's boots right now." He said with a chuckle. "He moved here a year and a half ago after he found it too difficult to run a business in a small town like Timberlake. Did you say you were from there?"

Victoria didn't reply at first; the shock of another vampire, living and working in a small house like this, where the smell of fresh human was always lingering. _How could he manage it  
when I can barely stand to be in the same room with this man right now?! _She thought with shock. "Uh, yes! It was my childhood home. I've been living in New York now."

"And you traveled all this way for shoes?" he old man chuckled. If Victoria could blush, she would have; being caught in a lie like this was certainly embarrassing.

"I'm home in the state for the spring." She explained in a even tone.

The old man nodded knowingly and walked back around the counter. "Well, if you want I can fetch him from the back for you-"

"Oh no!" Victoria added perhaps a little too hastily. He looked at her curiously, waiting for her explanation. "It's just, uh, I would like to speak to him in private... if you don't mind." She said in a calmer, gentler tone. "Can I go into the back and speak with him? I promise not to touch anything." She added with a sweet smile that was sure to win him over. It worked all the time when she was mortal, and it worked even better now that she was immortal.

"Well, I'll take you back there, and then I'll leave you two to catch up; how does that sound?" he offered, giving her a wide smile as he held the door to the back room open for her. Victoria thanked him and followed through the dark doorway.

Walking through a maze of shelves filled with shoes, snaking back and forward across the width of the building like a queue line for a movie, Victoria wondered how the old man could make it from the back to the front of the store so fast. There was a light at the end of the last row, and suddenly she felt a grip of fear; what if he panicked? What if he refused to see her? What if he announced, right in front of this old man, that she was supposed to be dead?  
_I'll do the same then. _She told herself firmly. _If he reveals me, then I'll reveal him. _

"Here we are, Miss." He said, stepping past the last wall of shelves. "David, someone is here to see you." He said with a wide smile.

Victoria now stepped past the shelf-wall and saw David, looking just as hansom as ever, sewing the buttons onto a pair of black leather boots. He didn't look up for the first moment, but when he did, his expression of shock was unmistakeable. "Hello David." She said quietly. He still just stared at her, but Victoria could see the small smile tugging at the corner of his open mouth.

"Well, I'll leave you two to catch up then, as promised." The old man said before he slipped past her and made his way up the maze of shelves.

They seemed to stare at each other for ages. David looked Victoria over quickly, but it didn't give her the same feeling of disgust as it did when James did it. Victoria couldn't help but smile at the sight of someone else that she could talk to, someone that knew her secret, that _wasn't _James.  
"David-"

"Give me a few seconds." He smiled before he turned to the shoe he was fixing. But unlike before, he was sewing at high speed, and in mere seconds, the boot was sewn, glued, and polished to perfection. "There, all done. Now we can talk." He said, standing from the chair and grabbing her arm, leading her further into the back of the house to a dark, crooked stairwell. "I thought I heard someone above me yesterday." David smirked to her as he climbed up to the 3rd floor. "Ben has been kind enough to me to let me stay here in exchange for me making the shoes. He's too old for it now, and as far as he's concerned, I'm a miracle worker because I can make shoes 3 times as fast as he ever could."

"Little does he know, right?" Victoria remarked with a small chuckle.

David didn't reply; he just opened his door and held it open for her. She entered without hesitation, and was amazed to see a very neat, but very dark, apartment the length of the house. There was a bookshelf that had to be as long as the storefront that was filled to capacity with books, with another stack as tall as Victoria on the floor beside the bed. The fact that he had a bed, which was covered in a very plain brown comforter, was probably for keeping up appearances to Ben. Closer to them, there was a round table with two chairs, a washing basin, and in the corner, through the open door, Victoria could see the bathtub in the bathroom.  
"It's better than living in a cave. And this way I get to relax for a few hours a day." David remarked as he closed the door behind them and locked it. "He won't bother us up here so long as my work is done."

"David, I can't tell you how happy I am to see you." Victoria blurted out. "I've been all over the world, and I've seen sights that I never dreamed of before, but having someone so familiar near me again is the best feeling in the world." She smiled before she threw her arms around him in a tight hug. And as she expected, he hugged back with full strength. Before, he would barely hug her, if at all, but now that she was just as unbreakable as him, he didn't need to hold back.

"You have no idea how upset I was when he got to you." He said into her hair as he still hugged her. "I was going to save you, but I was too afraid of him."

"I know. James told me you ran away when you heard me screaming." Victoria sighed. "But I escaped from him almost a year ago, and have to say I've never felt so free!" she said, laughing at her own fortune.

"He came here looking for you." David said in a low voice. Victoria felt her mind freeze. "He finds his own victims much faster than anyone else, and he found me without any problem." He explained before she could ask. "I told him I hadn't seen you, and if I did, I would send you away to protect you."

Victoria released him and looked at him with fear in her eyes. "And are you going to? When was he here? Did he say where he was going next?" she rambled in panic. David shushed her gently and put his hands on her arms lightly.

"Calm down, Vicky." He soothed quietly. "I'm not throwing you out or anything... I'm just telling you that you can't stay here for long." He paused and pulled her into another tight hug. "I missed you too, after all."

Victoria felt her anxiety fade away slowly. He called her Vicky, the name that she had gotten from her school friends when she was 6. It stuck for the rest of her life with everyone... except James.  
"Here, come sit down." David offered, placing one arm on her back and leading her over to the table with two chairs. She took a seat and took off the ugly coat that she hated, and sat in her blue dress. She saw David look at her for an extra long moment before he tore his eyes away and fiddled with taking off his apron. "So what have you been doing with yourself all this time?" he asked casually as he tossed the apron into the wash basin and took a seat in the chair opposite her. The way the light hit him from the lamp on the counter gave Victoria chills from her mortal life. Back then, she just thought that David was extraordinarily handsome, and that any girl would be lucky to have him. Oddly enough, however, David and his white blonde hair and perfectly chiselled features never had any sort of female companion... except Victoria, who he offered to take to the late shows or down to the lake at night. It was all very innocent fun to her then, but now she knew (thanks to James) that he was, in fact, infatuated with her.  
_  
I wonder if he still is in love with me... _she thought briefly.

"I've been traveling. I've been around the world and back, hunting all sorts of yummy people." She smirked, tossing her long red curls over her shoulder. To her surprise, David didn't look as intrigued by her worldly taste of humans as she expected.

"And now that you're no longer a Newborn? What do you intend on doing now?" David asked, his face a little more serious now. "After all, you can't hunt forever."

"Why not? James does." Victoria asked, her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. She liked hunting... and she liked killing people. As far as she was concerned, it was survival of the fittest... and a vampire like her always survived.

"And look at the kind of person James is." David pointed out in a flat tone. Victoria's expression went blank and she looked away from him. At that moment, the heater in the house came on, blowing the scent of human blood all through the room. Victoria felt her muscles tense and her eyes close at the very smell of it. She was hungry again.  
David jumped up from the table and flipped a metal switch on the wall, shutting the heating ducts closed to the room. The smell faded, and Victoria felt her primal urges die down again.  
"Forgot about that..." he muttered as he sat down at the table again, watching her intently once more.

"How do you eat here anyways?" Victoria asked curiously, taking a lock of her hair and twisting it absently. She was surprised at how quickly her human habits returned just by being near him again.

"I don't eat here." He replied in a low tone. "I only eat humans once a month, and I go out of town to do it."

"Once a _month_!? I practically eat once a _day_!" she breathed in amazement; how could he possess that much self control, especially when he was around humans so much.

"I eat animals once a day." He replied matter-of-factly. Victoria looked at him with a mixture of confusion and disgust on her face. "Drink their blood, I should say. It was good enough to survive on when we were humans, and it does the same now... although it's not as good as humans. So, every night I go out to eat... I told Ben that I was Jewish, and I needed to eat kosher meals, which I didn't want to prepare in his house. Then, once a month, when I travel to Cleveland to purchase some materials for the store, I hunt a human."

Victoria stared at him, not blinking; she was so surprised that a vampire could resist temptation for so long! She could barely last half a day without her thirst demanding to be quenched. "I didn't even know that was possible..." she whispered to herself. David let out a quick but hearty laugh.

"I'm not surprised; James has taught you how to feed, right? Well, he certainly would never lower himself to eating animals again, now would he?" David smiled. "You never told me how you got away from him, Vicky. How did you do it?" he asked, leaning on the table, anxious to hear her tale.

Victoria recounted the story of how she and James had traveled to the Maritimes so that he could have some fisherman, and how she dove in after the dead man, pretending to look for his jewellery. David was impressed at how she figured out that James, although he could follow her on land, could not track in the water, making it virtually impossible for him to find her. Then Victoria told him all about every country and continent she had been on since, and all the things she saw, and the flavours of the people she hunted.  
"So what's the best you've had then?" David chuckled after she described her last victim in Cleveland, whom she got the ugly coat from.

"I'm not sure... certainly not Russian!... Nor English... I'm actually not sure at all!" she giggled. "They all start to mix together in my head after a while."

"Well, I'm glad you've gotten to see the world." David remarked with a small smile. "I can't say I've ever had a desire to leave this area... I figure that I'll be forced out eventually, so I'll make the best of staying in my home as long as possible."

"Has Ohio always been your home?" Victoria asked, leaning on her elbows as she waited for him to tell his stories.

"Born and raised." He smiled. "I was born in 1875, in Cleveland. I was 24, away at college studying to be a writer, when I met a charming fellow names James, who after he jumped me in an ally, changed me into this." He said, looking down at his own hands and sighing. "My father had been a shoemaker, and saved his whole life so that I could go away to school and make a better life for myself. But after I became a vampire, I didn't have the heart behind becoming something I wasn't familiar with. I wanted to pretend I was always the same... that I was still a human. So, I lived in a variety of towns around Ohio, making shoes for a living, and saving all my money so that I might buy some great mansion out on the lake, far away from everyone.... where I can live in peace, and no longer pretend."

"Do you not like being a vampire?" Victoria asked curiously.

"I hate it." He frowned, looking down at his hands. "The only good thing it's done for me is allowed my hands to work faster than any new machine can."

"Like me!" Victoria cried out excitedly. "My eyes are super strong, and I can see things for miles away when I focus!"

"Makes sense." David chuckled. "I remember you're title as the sharpest shot; you used it to tease me all the time, threatening to shoot me if I took you to see a scary movie."

Victoria laughed heartily at his memory; she had almost forgotten about how she threatened him with that almost every time they went to the local cinema. Then she stopped laughing and looked up at David, catching her first real look at his burnt orange eyes. They shined like gold, but had detail and depth like her own carmine eyes. "David, James told me that you were in love with me." She asked quietly, staring right at him, trying to remain as calm as possible. "And that I was a tease to you, that I led you on, and reminded me of all the wicked things I used to do to boys when I was human... and I'm sorry."

David sat in silence and didn't say anything for a minute; he just stared at her, the same way she had always stared at her. _I guess I knew all along that he loved me... but I didn't know he loved me so much as to think of changing me!  
_  
"This is why I hate being a vampire." He answered quietly. "Not because I have to live off of humans to survive... but because I could never get close to you _because _you were human." He stood from the table and walked over to the pile of books beside the bed, picking one up and tearing it in half in anger. "If I wanted to get close to you, I had to consider what you might do if you ever found out."

"You wouldn't have hurt me." Victoria pointed out quietly, standing from the chair and crossing the room, putting her hand on his back supporting.

"I knew that. I was strong enough that I knew I could resist you... but I hated lying to you... I felt like_ I_ was the one leading you on." He sighed, tossing the now ruined book aside onto the floor. "And because I was too afraid of what you would do... how I would ever plan to change you into a vampire, you're hunted by one of our own kind... a madman."

"I'm not afraid of James! Please David, believe me when I say that I will fight him if I have to! He won't kill me if he thinks I'm just playing a game with him; he loves games!" Victoria pleaded. "Just please, don't send me away! I want someone who is normal to be with! That's why I came to find you!"

"Vicky, you know you can't stay here." David sighed, turning around and gripped her shoulders tenderly. "Not only would James destroy the town in order to scare you out of my protection, but I can tell that you have an appetite that will have us on the run everywhere we go."

"How can you know that!?" she asked indignantly.

"Your eyes are one of the darkest reds I have ever seen, which I'm sure I don't need to tell you means that your diet consists of a lot of human blood." He explained gently. Victoria made a face that would have led to her crying, had she been human. Had she really come all this way just to be told she was too much of a monster for one of her own kind to stay with her?

"You hate me, don't you." Victoria muttered, looking down at the floor, her hands clenched together in anger.

"I could never hate you, Victoria." He whispered. "It's the fact that I still love you that forces me to push you away." Victoria looked up in a flash, her expression of shock and passion mixed together in her face and eyes. "Because I can't live an eternity knowing that you were killed because of me. That's why I'm telling you that you can't stay here; because it will kill me in the end too."

Victoria couldn't think of anything to say to him now. He had such a valid point that there was no point in arguing, but she wanted to scream and cry out that she didn't care if she died trying to stay; death would be better than being hounded by James. But she knew that no matter her argument, even if she refused to leave, David would separate himself from her for her own safety.  
_And I'll be all alone again... constantly looking over my shoulder, expecting James to jump out of a bush and take me captive again. _She thought solemnly.

"How long do we have then." She asked soberly. David sighed and looked at the sun, now shining brightly in the sky outside his window. There was no way that James could hunt them now... not with weather like this.

"Until nightfall, I imagine." He replied quietly, his smooth, white hand reaching out and cupping her chin. "Which is just enough time for me to show you how much I love you." He added in an even quieter voice. Victoria put her own hand over his, holding it to her face as she stared at him. In that instant, he leaned in and kissed her, the first real and loving kiss she had since becoming a vampire. She was so enthralled by it that she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him closer and deeper into the kiss. And in one swift motion, before she even understood what was going on, they were lying on the bed together, still locked in a superhuman embrace.

**(Fleeing)  
**This was the closest thing Victoria had experience to sleep in over a year. After David was finished making love to her, they just lay there atop the previously unused bed, with torn clothes and pieces of pillow and comforter everywhere. Victoria had forgotten all about her hunger, and how she would have to flee this place shortly... until David suddenly jumped from the bed.  
"Victoria, you have to leave! It's nightfall already." He said, crossing the room completely naked and opening a closet beside the door.

"Wait, why so sudden?" she asked, sitting up on the bed (also naked), catching a glimpse of what was her dress in shreds on the floor. "I can't go now! I have no clothes."

"What do you think I'm looking for?" he called without looking back at her. From his closet, he threw her a pair of black pants, a white dress shirt, and a black pea coat. "Please Vicky, get dressed." He pleaded before he too pulled on some clothes from the closet.

Slowly and mournfully, Victoria pulled on the oversized pants and shirt, then did up the old black pea coat, which looked a lot better than the other one she had. From a shred of the comforter, she fashioned herself a quick belt to hold the pants up. "I don't know why I have to leave this instant... and I have no shoes." She muttered to herself, noting the broken heel on her white dress shoes.

"Good thing you're in a shoemakers house then, isn't it?" David replied sharply. "And you have to leave because he'll smell me on you."

"How do you know he's even nearby!? For all we know, he could be in Brazil right now!" she cried as she fixed her hair into a high pony tail with a piece of her former dress.

"Because he has a route." David admitted with a deep sigh "On the way up to Canada, which he ventures to almost monthly, he passes through this town to make sure that you haven't come. If he comes by here before the next rainfall..." he trailed off and flung open his apartment door, disappeared for a moment, and then reappeared with a pair of ladies black boots. "Here, put these on. I'll run with you until you're out of town, but then you have to go on your own."

"Please David, can't we wait a few more hours?" Victoria pleaded hopelessly.

"You know the answer is no." David said sternly as he pulled on his own boots.

Victoria wished she could cry; that way, David would know how much this was killing her right now. "Does this mean I'll never see you again?" she asked quietly, her voice barely above a whisper. David froze in his preparations to leave the house and looked at her with deeply pained eyes.

"I wish I could say no, but I don't know for sure if it is." He admitted. "James is an extremely jealous creature, and he will kill you just so no one else can have you." He crossed the room and took her hand "That's why I'm going to make you go."

"What if I come running back?" she quipped stubbornly. "What if I love you too much to leave you? What would you do then?"

David looked at her with very dark and pained eyes, but he kept his stern face. "Then I'd run from you. Or I'd kill myself."

Victoria was so taken aback that she wasn't sure what to say in retort. But before she could think of something, he was dragging her down the stairs and they were out in the night fallen streets of Shaker Heights, running to the city limits.

Once the streetlights and houses were well past them, David stopped his run and turned back to Victoria, who stood there staring at him, wide-eyed and torn. She knew that she had to leave... but she didn't want to! Even if she would be killed, she wanted to stay with David! She had known him for so many years as a mortal, and she wanted to know him for eternity!  
_But what if David has it all wrong... what if he were to destroy David to punish you? It wouldn't be the first time he's done something like that to you... _her mind sang to her. Victoria shivered at the thought, but couldn't deny it was possible.

"I'll miss you too, Vicky." David reassured, holding out his arms for one last hug. Victoria threw herself forward into his arms for quite possibly the last embrace she would ever have with him. The time she had spent with him today was well worth the danger she faced afterwards.

"...I just wish it didn't have to be this way..." she sighed into his chest.

"I'll make you a deal then." David said quietly. "If he's ever destroyed... and I mean for sure, and you witnessed it yourself, then come back to me." He whispered softly in her ear before he kissed it softly.

"You mean it? Because I want to destroy him myself." Victoria said, pulling back a little from the tight embrace so she could see his face "I will do it, once I figure out how. I want to get him back for everything he's done to me."

"In that case, then I wish I could help," he sighed, pushing one of her red curls aside from her face "But had I known how to destroy a vampire, I would have done it myself when he killed you and your family."

"I'm not dead, David." She said with a small smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

David frowned and looked away guiltily "Until he's destroyed, then I have to pretend like you are." He admitted. "Otherwise, I might just come looking for you."

"Don't worry, David." She soothed gently "I'll be back before you know it." She promised. Then she stood on her tiptoes and gave him a kiss, which started as a gentle good-bye, but turned into one last confession of passion and love.

A noise startled David, and he pushed Victoria away from him. "Go, Vicky. You have to get out of here." He said harshly. Victoria nodded and looked towards the forest, where the noise had come from, and she ran in the opposite direction, not knowing where she was going, or if she would ever be back.

**(Capture)  
**She ran westward for about 2 days, right until she found herself standing at the shores of the Pacific Ocean. Had she been running full speed, she would have reached this ocean in only a day, but her heart didn't want her to run away too fast. Every step she took, she could feel the happiness of her only reminder of her human life slipping away with it.  
_All thanks to you, James... If he ever finds me, I will destroy him! Even if I have no clue how, I'll rip and tear at him until he just dies! _She swore as she looked out over the ocean. Seattle wasn't nearly as interesting a city as she thought it would be when she set out on the course, and veered her path south, running along the coastline of Washington state, through little towns like Friday Harbour, Port Angeles, and Long Beach as she ran. Eventually, after passing through Oregon, she found herself in Las Angeles, a city where over a million people.  
_And hundreds of thousands of meals... _Victoria thought, her white teeth smiling wide as she jumped off the face of a cliff, landing into the rocky ocean bellow.

She swam to shore in one of the lower class neighbourhood beaches, and instantly took down a young woman who reminded her of her brother's wife, stealing her clothes but keeping her boots. _I will never get rid of these boots so long as I live... which should be forever. _She smiled to herself as she pulled on the pale pink blouse over her shoulders and then buttoned up the grass green pencil skirt. It was actually quite a charming outfit matched with the black boots, and although it was Las Angeles, it was unseasonably cold for this time of the year, so she fit in well.

Victoria headed straight towards the poorest part of town that she could find, knowing that a victim in this end of town would go unnoticed and uncared for. When she found an abandon warehouse, which she could smell the 20 occupants sleeping inside, her animal instincts kicked in, and she jumped up onto the roof. After stalking around on the rooftop, making as much noise as she could, banging pipes and stomping holes into the rotting ceiling, she jumped hard and fell through into the ground floor. Various squatters jumped up in fear as the rubble fell from the ceiling, only to have a beautiful red head girl emerge out of it like it was feathers.  
"Hello." She said in a smooth, angelic voice.

"Quién es usted?" one of the men asked. She only chuckled and tried to search her brain for the few Spanish classes that she paid attention in.  
_  
If only stupid Jeremy Fishburn wasn't sitting in front of me... I would have been able to pay attention to the lesson as opposed to his beautiful hair...  
_  
"My name is Victoria," she smirked, leaping high into the air out of the rubble and landing directly behind the man that spoke. "And you're my dinner... or as you say," she paused and grabbed him by his neck "Eres mi cena!"

The squatters instantly fled backwards, some running right out of the building. All except the man that she was holding by the neck, whose eyes reflected the familiar look of fear and disbelief. He stared into her red eyes, and his face looked even more afraid. "Ojos como el diablo! Ella es un diablo!"  
_  
The Devil, am I? _She thought angrily, tossing the man backwards into a metal wall. "I am no devil! I am a goddess!" she shouted.

The man kept repeating that she was the devil, and the other squatters instantly ran away. Then he began to pray as he huddled down on the floor, injured by his collision with the wall.

Victoria crouched down into her stance, ready to pounce on her meal. Just as her feet extended and she was in mid-air, something hit her hard on the side, and she was suddenly outside of the building, lying in a pile of sand. "What the-"  
"You're in our territory, girlie!" the male voice growled. Victoria shook her head in confusion and sat up from the pile of dirt she was in and looked groggily at 3 figures that stood across the old storage yard. There was a tall man that looked like the drawings of a caveman in her highschool textbooks, with a heavy brow and long, tangled black hair. There were two men on either side of him looked like twins, with identical brown hair combed to the sides and the same scrawny and thin figure.

"Do you have any idea who you're dealing with?" Victoria hissed, resuming the same position as before. But before she could release a growl that was sure to strike fear into the heart of any mortal, she felt the grip of the twins holding her arms behind her back. The Neanderthal leader was now standing directly in front of her, and it was only now that she noticed the red eyes and pale skin. "Oh, I take it you _do_ know who you're dealing with." She replied smartly.

"What are you doing on our territory?" he demanded in a low, raspy voice.

"I'm sorry, I must have missed the road sign while I _swam_ here." She sneered, trying to wriggle her way out of the twins grip.

"You've got an awfully smart mouth on you for someone who's about to get a lesson taught to her." He said with a smirk. His two companions let out identical chuckles, and Victoria let out a low snarl at his implication.

"All I wanted was dinner. I'll move out of the area if that's what you want." She said through a locked jaw.

"No, that doesn't matter much to me." He said with the same evil smirk. "Now that you're here, you might as well stay..." he said in a low voice, giving her a once over glance that made her let out another loud snarl.

"Touch me and I'll rip it off!" she threatened, fighting against his companions restraints, but they were surprisingly strong for being so fragile looking.

Something happened suddenly that none of them were expecting. Victoria suddenly felt the grip of the twins disappear, and she was free for a brief moment to lunge forward at her threat. But just as she moved forward to take him down, there was a loud, disturbing crack that caused them both to freeze. The heads of the other two vampires rolled into their sight, and the caveman reacted as though he was suddenly frightened. Had Victoria known what was happening, she was sure that she would be frightened too, but she had never seen a vampire injured in such a way... she didn't even know it was possible.  
In the exact moment that she turned to look at the caveman-looking vampire for some sort of explanation, he disappeared from her sight like magic, and landed with a thud that sent shockwaves through the ground 50 meters away.

"Don't even think about it, buddy." growled a familiar voice... a very familiar voice. Just as her mind felt a tidal wave of fear wash over her, the familiar blonde head turned around, looking over his shoulder with a devious smile that was only meant for her. "She's mine." He said in a low hiss, and then he tore off the head of that vampire too.

James had found her again. And despite all the fear in her, and the fact that she just saw him behead three vampires in mere seconds, she found that she couldn't move. She was too terrified to move, for she knew there was no use; she was dead now...

**_AN: REVIEW PLEASE! I LOVE REVIEWS AND IT WILL BE LIKE AN EARLY CHRISTMAS GIFT TO ME!  
Happy Holidays everyone, and I'll update after the New Year :)_**


	4. Beg and AUTHORS NOTE

**_AN: WOW!!!!_**

It has been a long time since I updated with ANYTHING of late. And believe me, I'm sorry about that! As I've mentioned before, I am in University, so I am VERY busy at this time of year. I do try and write as much as I can, but it's hard to find time and inspiration when I'm slaving over essays and exams.

So, the best I can do for Queen Victoria is give you 1/3 of the 2/5ths I have written for my next update. This is a completed section (as you may have noticed, I post my updates for this story in 3 parts...) This is the first part of the update I'm working on.... someday soon I hope to have up the other 2 parts!

I ask you guys to please be patient! I will update the story when I have time! Hopefully, and realistically, you will begin to have regular updates again by the end of April/beginning of May... aka when I'm done my school for the year.

I have not forgotten this story despite my updates of my other story. That is because I have the plot completely planned out for that story, and Queen Victoria I do NOT have to plot completely set in stone in my mind... so in other words, it takes me longer to write. But I AM working on it!

Thanks for you patience!  
Hopefully this will feed your curiosity, and hold you over until I write a real, long update!

Review please!!

**(Beg)**

Although she was frozen with fear first, when James rounded on his last victim and started towards her, her instincts took over and she tried to run. She managed to get 3 strides away before she felt a sharp tug on her hair.

"Hello Queenie; fancy meeting you here." James growled.

"Let me go!" Victoria pleaded helplessly as she squirmed in his grip.

James laughed and tugged on her hair even harder "Now why would I do that?" he hissed in her ear "Are you telling me that you didn't _miss_ me?"

"You make my life _hell_! How could I _miss_ something like _you_!" she shouted angrily, jabbing her elbow back as hard as she could, knocking him back enough to let Victoria loose for a moment. As she tried to take another step away, his bear-trap like grip snatched onto her wrist and yanked her onto the ground in front of him.

"I ought to kill you for what you did." He said in a flat tone, his expression dark and threatening "I traveled all across the continent, waiting for that head of your to pop out of the water. As smart as it was for you to figure out that I can't track you in the water, it was very foolish of you to try and run."

"Who can blame me!?" Victoria hissed as she tried to pull herself out of his grasp with no avail. "You stalk me everywhere I go, and this proves it! How many times must I tell you that _I don't want you_! Just LEAVE ME!"

"Where did you go, Queenie?" James pressed, twisting her wrist a little so she was visibly uncomfortable. "To Asia? England? Germany? The South Pole?" he asked, twisting her arm a little more as he asked each location. "I had a lot of sources looking for you if and when you came back into this side of the world, but you still managed to evade me despite your return." He gave her arm a sharp tug, and Victoria shouted in pain as she felt her arm almost dislocate. She tried to crawl away, but she was completely trapped by the hold he had on her "So this tells me one of two things; either you're the best person at playing hide and seek in the world, or somewhere along the line, you had help." James was smirking wickedly at her now, his red eyes looking more blood thirty than ever. "So tell me Queenie; who helped you?"  
_  
Don't tell him! Don't hint to it! He'll kill him!_ Victoria told herself, frantically trying to push James away from her. When she didn't answer right away, he gave her now sore arm another tug, and she let out an even shriller, louder scream than before. _Never! I'd rather die than tell him! Just don't give in! _She thought as she ground her teeth in her head, attempting to take her mind off the pain he was inflicting. She attempted to kick him away, but it was like trying to kick down a wall.

"Not going to tell me, are you?" James asked, amused by her stamina. "Then I suppose I'll have to use more _creative_ means to get the answer."

Victoria felt her eyes go wide in fear, the image of him that first night they met flooding into her brain. James leaned forward, but instead of kissing her as she expected, he stuck his face into her hair and began to breathe deeply. He stayed there for a moment, then gradually moved down to her shoulder, smelling her pink blouse, and eventually the green skirt, both of which she had stolen from a woman that became her dinner earlier this evening. Victoria didn't understand at first what he was doing. James, although she knew could clearly smell the human on her, continued on down her body, and then froze when he saw her boots. He pulled her left leg towards him and took a deep inhale of the leather, and then gave her a satisfied smile.

"The shoemaker?" he guessed instantly. Victoria felt her face go from confused to fearful, as she knew he had figured it out. "How very brave of him to take you in. After I told him not to..." he paused as he started into Victoria's frightened eyes. "I think I'll have to go pay him a visit." James smirked, giving her wrist one last violent twist (which made a lovely cracking noise in her shoulder), and jumped back out of her reach, landing across the old storage yard.

"No! Stop!" Victoria shouted in desperation, taking only a second to try and block the pain of that last twist. "You can't touch him!" she shouted angrily at him.

"And why not?" he laughed as he paced back and forward along the top of an old tanker truck. "I did warn him not to help you; he breeched our little contract."

"I made him hide me!" Victoria told him. "I refused to leave, and threatened to expose him if he didn't help me."

"Victoria, you've never been the best liar; don't try to start now." James said, amused by her story. He paused, then jumped across the yard, landing in front of her again, his expression of gloating making her furious. "I'll bet you showed up, crying and whining about how horrible I'd been to you, and he sympathized instantly, and took you in because he's still in love with you. Is that a pretty accurate guess?" he teased. When Victoria didn't answer, he snatched up her leg again, causing her to fall back onto the ground, screaming at the pain of her shoulder. He sniffed her boot for a moment. "One thing I never told you is that vampire skin retains the scent of anyone we've come into contact with for a long time... and it's waterproof." He smirked as he took her injured arm and pulled the bare skin towards his face. He inhaled deeply, and then locked eyes with a fearful Victoria. "And now that I have this scent, your skin _reeks_ of David." He said in a frighteningly calm voice. "I don't think I have to ask you what happened between you." He chuckled, taking another deep inhale of her skin again "Oh no, it's pretty clear. The scent of sex is all over you, and I can't say I'm surprised."

"You can't touch David! I left there because I wanted to keep him safe." Victoria pleaded. Yanking her arm out his grip and twisted it painfully until it felt normal again. "Punish me, but please don't hurt him."

"Why shouldn't I? If anything, the scent of him on you makes me want to kill him more." James said flatly, his expression showing how angry he really was about it, despite his outwardly cool facade.

"James, you've found me! There's no need to keep hunting, and therefore there's no reason to torture or kill him for information!" Victoria begged. She hated being so weak, but she couldn't stomach the thought of David being killed for her.

"I never said I would kill him, did I?" he chuckled, leaning down so he was crouched in front of her "No, I told him that I would kill _you_ if I ever found out you had been there." Victoria felt herself freeze in fear again. She couldn't say that she was surprised by his threat, but she had never really felt the threat as anything more than a threat... until now. "Which would you rather? That I kill you and punish David, or kill David and punish you?" James asked, his red eyes locked with hers.

It was an easy answer for Victoria, because despite being fiercely in love with David, she didn't want to live with James either. "Kill me. I couldn't bare living knowing that I caused the death of such a gentle and loving creature because of your jealousy." She told him, and closed her eyes in anticipation. Nothing happened, and she opened one eye curiously.

"Well that settles it." James said, smiling when she at last opened her eye to see what was the delay. "I'll kill David in order to teach you the ultimate lesson." He said, and then stood sharply and began to cross the yard, heading in a North-Easter direction.

"NO! James, stop!" Victoria cried desperately, jumping ahead of him and pushing him back onto the ground. He chuckled at her actions, but didn't struggle. "Don't, please! I'll do anything! Just _please_ leave David alone! He won't come looking for me; he'll never try to make a claim against you!" she pleaded, her hands gripping his arms with her sharp nails.

James stared at her for a few moments, apparently considering the offer. It was only as she watched his mind reel behind his dark and evil eyes that she regretted using the word 'anything'.

"Promise?" he smirked. Victoria paused and looked at him with contempt, not wanting to make such a promise. He tried to get out from under her trap empty-heartily, but it gave her the message that if she didn't swear to it, he would go after David.

"Promise!" She blurted out as she pinned his body back onto the ground. And once again, she regretted it at once.

"We have a deal then." James smirked, then slowly pushed himself up into a sitting position. "And I suggest you keep your promise, or I'll kill him with you watching." He added in a calm voice that made her shiver. And with that, he stood up, first pushing Victoria off him, and then dusting his clothes off. Then, he walked over and stood beside her as she lay on the ground, still in shock as to what she had just agreed to.  
_  
I just made myself his slave... oh God, what a fool I am! _Her mind mourned at her mistake. She stared up at James, whose smug face of victory made her want to rip his face off again.

"Consider this your first command." He said lightly, reaching down and tugging her up into a standing position. "Follow me." He told her as he tugged her in a southern direction. Part of  
Victoria was relieved that he was heading away from David... but the other part of her was suffering fear and shock. She had just sworn herself to him... to her worst enemy... to the man whom she wanted to kill more than anyone.  
_  
I really need to start thinking things through before I say them..._

**AN: Update as soon as I can! Review please :)**


	5. Slavery and Strangers

**_AN: WOW! I'M SO SORRY THIS TOOK SO LONG!!!_**

Hopefully I will be able to finish this story by the end of the summer, but as I said when I updated 2 days ago on my other fic, my work leaves me utterly EXHAUSTED at the end of the day... *sigh* BUT! It's only the beginning of the summer, so we'll see how things turn out :P

Anyways, enjoy the update!!

**(Slavery)  
**Victoria wasn't sure what was worse; having James follow her like before, or being his slave and being forced to follow _him_. He had told her that if she strayed out of his sight, even for just a moment, he would run straight to Shaker Heights and take care of David. So now she was forced to stay within10 feet from him at most, or risk him turning and heading north. And over the past month, which was the longest month she had ever experienced, she grudgingly did what she was told.  
_This is only temporary..._Victoria told herself. _You just need to figure out how to kill him, and you'll be free to go back to David. _Her mind wandered with the possibility of being with him again.

"Oh Queenie!"James called patronizingly from across a small stream. Victoria snapped out of her train of thought and glared at him with malcontent. "I'm hungry. Go find me some food." He said like a king.

"Why don't you go find it yourself?" Victoria snarled. He smirked a little and looked around the forest.

"Which way do you think is north? I wouldn't want to waste any time by going in the wrong direction." He teased, his red eyes locking with hers; they were laughing at her. She was getting really tired on the unending threats of killing David. Some days she wished he just would so that he wouldn't have anything to hold over her head anymore... But she couldn't bring herself to let something like that happen to her sweet David...

Angry at the predicament she had found herself in (again), she sighed in frustration and crossed her arms impatiently. "Fine, what do you want? Logger? Farmer? Little Girl? I know you _love_ to torture helpless girls" she snapped.

"Ooo, tough choice; they're all pretty good in this area." He mused as he lounged back onto a branch of a cedar tree. "What do you think you can bring back?"

"What day is it?" Victoria grumbled. James chuckled a little and told her it was Saturday. "I can bring back a drunk or two from the bar. Will _that _satisfy you?" she said, sarcasm dripping from her every word.

"_Two_? Well, aren't you generous tonight." He laughed. "Fine, drunks will do." Victoria turned and started to walk away from him in the direction of the town. "One more thing, Queenie." He called in a sing-song voice. Victoria sighed and turned around, her expression clearly one of hatred and despise. "Make sure you're back by 3am, or I might think you've run off again." He smirked.

"You know very well that I can't walk this far with two drunks in that time." She growled.

"Well, then it's a good thing they'll be drunk." James smiled, then turned his head and stared up at the stars. She stared at him angrily, wishing that she knew how to kill him... or at least hurt him! Anything that she could use against him would make her life so much better! "You're wasting time." James sang to her, his smirk still visible from where she stood. Letting out one more angry growl at him, she turned away and ran towards the town.

She was tempted to keep running once she got to town. She had toyed with the idea of running to David tonight and pleading that they run away... But her heart knew that he would either refuse for risk of hurting her, or they would be caught by James shortly after. So, with a reluctant sigh, she stopped when she reached the edge of the town they were near.

As she expected, luring away two drunk men from outside the bar was so easy that she barely had to try. They followed her until they were out of sight of the town, and then she ran up behind them and knocked them both out. After swinging both men over her shoulder, she ran the rest of the way to where James was, and upon standing in front of a very impressed James, dropped them at his feet and jumped up into a tree.

"Aren't you hungry, Queenie?" he called as he picked up one of the men, who was still unconscious.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you." She muttered, climbing up another branch. From where she stood now, she could see far across the forest boundary, where there was a great plain that expanded all the way to the curve of the earth. Victoria didn't even bother using her sight to see how far the plains extended; the sight itself was a glorious one without vampiric enhancement.

"Come eat, Victoria." James called in a much sterner voice. Victoria ignored him; the last thing she wanted to do was be down there with him. "Don't make me say it, Queenie." He called up to her threateningly.  
_  
He would try and make me come down... God, he's really going to stretch this slave thing out for all eternity, isn't he?_ She sighed at her own thoughts, then stood up on the branch, closed her eyes, stretched her arms out like she was on a cross, then felt herself fall backwards towards the earth. The freefall was relaxing enough; knowing that she was going to hit the ground and live was not. What was worse that instead of hitting the ground, she felt herself fall into something that like two rock hard supports.

"That won't kill you." James remarked smoothly. Victoria opened her eyes and groaned in annoyance as she realized that it was James's arms that had caught her.

"Then why did you stop me?" she quipped back, pushing herself out of his support.

"You would have killed your dinner." He smirked, pulling her body like a rag doll out of the way of the unconscious man that was lying in front of James's feet.

"Tragic." She muttered as she squirmed out of his grip like it was burning her. "I told you I'm not hungry."

James laughed. "And you really think I believe that?" he stepped forward so he was standing right behind her, taking another long sniff of her hair. "You won't lose weight, and you won't starve to death. And it will only make your thirst worse; you'll be like a newborn again if you keep it up."

"Good for me." She replied flatly as she tried to step away from him, but his arms wrapped around her like a reverse bear hug, keeping her caged against him. "_Really_ James?!" she sighed angrily "I thought we were passed all of this?"

"Passed what?" James whispered coyly right beside her ear, knowing that it made her skin crawl. "I think we've barely begun, Queenie"  
_  
There it is. _She thought nervously. _Please don't say it. PLEASE don't say it! _

There had been one command that James had not evoked the right to yet, and Victoria had been thankful of it. Before she ran away, James was known to violently steal a kiss or two, but now with Victoria bound by her word and the life of her lover to obeying his every command, there was nothing to prevent him from having everything. But he hadn't demanded it yet, which made Victoria very nervous.

"Get away from me." She muttered, her eyes locked straight ahead at a tree so that she wouldn't be tempted to look at him; she would be damned if she would let him see the fear she was hiding.

"From the way you talk, I would think that _you _had control over _me_." James chuckled but did not loosen his hold. Victoria didn't need to test his grip to know that by him restraining her just above her elbows, she could not break her arms out.

"James, let me_ go_." She said in a much quieter, but just as firm voice. He only laughed in response, and she could feel him smelling her hair again.

"You really are quite terrified of me, aren't you?" he mused in her ear, tightening his grip a little more.  
_  
Calm down. Don't let him see it. Don't even give him a hint! _She told herself, closing her eyes, silently praying for him to just disappear. "Dare I ask what strikes fears into your heart when I'm near you?"

"You really have to _ask_?!" she hissed angrily, breaking her trance of silence. "You think toying with my mind, pretending that you're a _good_ person who pretends to care for me will make me change my mind?" She scoffed and shook her head, now trying to break out of his grip (to no avail) "I know what you want." She growled so quietly that it wouldn't be audible to a human. But to a vampire, like James, it was loud and clear.

"Oh, so _that's_ what you're scared of." He chuckled, still caging her with his arms. "Well, I have to say that compared to whatever David would muster as making love, I guess I would seem rather intimidating-"  
_  
Damn it. _She thought bitterly at his response "There would be no 'making love!'" Victoria scoffed. "It would be you forcing me by threatening me with David's life! I'm pretty sure that falls under the category of rape... again!"

"It's not rape if you do it willingly and fully aware of your actions." James mused in a sing-song voice.

"What part of '_I don't want to_' didn't you hear the first 400 times I told you?!" she hissed. "Certainly _sounds_ like the definition to me!"

"And how am I supposed to know you're not playing hard to get like you did with all those other boys?" he laughed. "I'll bet you've said no to countless boys just so you could see how determined they were to have you."

Victoria laughed at his assumption. Boys had certainly asked her out on dates or tried to kiss her, but they had never blatantly asked her to sleep with them! "Oh no, I think it's safe to say you take the prize for most stubbornly determined psycho!" she growled as she ducked out of his arms at last, stepping over the man on the ground and scampering away.

"That looks like more than 10 feet to me, Queenie." James sneered at her as she stood on top of an old fallen tree.

"Eat your dinner, James." She said in a flat, stern voice. "Or it will wake up."

"Not unless you come over here and eat yours." He quipped back. "And if you don't, I'll make you."

Victoria laughed again "You're going to force me to eat? I've never heard of that being one of your talents!" she sneered.

"I didn't say I'd force you to _eat_." He said in a low voice with a wicked smirk.

With dark eyes of hatred, she stepped down from the log and trudged over to her victim, who was still knocked out like a light. She prodded it in the side with her boot, but he didn't stir. _Perhaps I killed him when I knocked him out... _she thought to herself.

"Playing with your food?" James teased as he picked up his victim and promptly snapped his neck.

"God, I wish you would just die..." Victoria muttered to herself as she bent down and took an unwilling but gratifying bite of her dinner. He did not wake, which meant that she must have killed him earlier; no human would sleep through the initial bite.

There was a loud crash from across the forest, about a kilometre away. James instantly put on a serious face and leapt up into a tree. He was back down a second later, and took Victoria's hand, pulling her in the direction of the tree.  
"Tell me what you see." He demanded in a low voice.

"Why? Can't you tell?" she demanded in defiance.

"I _can_, but I want to be sure before I leave my dinner." He snarled in a serious voice that almost took Victoria. "Now, tell me what you can _see_."

Silently, she turned from him and jumped up into the tree. Latching on to the topmost branch, she swung up like a gymnast and landed standing at the very top of the ancient pine tree. With one hand on the tree for balance, she focused her eyes towards the fire that was burning a few kilometres away. Around it were figures in black, and what looked like humans struggling against them.  
"I see people in hoods... lots of them. All wearing black." Victoria called down to James. "They're dismembering and burning people." She added.

"Get down from there! Now!" he barked up the tree fiercely.

"What? I'm coming down now, but-" suddenly the tree swayed so sharply that she slipped off the branch she was standing on and tumbled down through the tree, landing with a thud against the ground. "Was that really necessary?" Victoria groaned as she pulled herself out of the indentation she had created with her impact.

"We have to get out of here." James said before he grabbed her wrist and took off running in the opposite direction.

They ran for about 20 minutes, until they reached the mountains about 10 kilometres away. He instantly scanned the surface of the mountain, in search of something. At last, he pulled Victoria yet again by the wrist towards a small cave.  
"James, enough with the pulling!" Victoria hissed just before they reached the cave entrance "Why are we running? You told me that we _never _had a reason to run!"

"Actually, I did." He said matter-of-factly, grabbing her wrist again and yanking her into the small, narrow cave. "Remember I told you that there was one group who created and enforced the vampire laws?"

"Vaguely. Why?" Victoria rolled her eyes as she remembered that conversation.

"Well, _that_ would be them." He nodded his head towards the forest. Victoria looked towards the dark trees, and then back to James.

"Why are they all the way in _Montana_?!" she asked sharply. She didn't want to believe what he was saying, since she was convinced this was an excuse to trap her in a small space.

"Apparently delivering some sort of punishments." James said in a flat tone. "Those weren't humans they were dismembering; they were vampires."

"_Vampires?_" she breathed in shock. "You can do something like that to a vampire?"

"Only once they're torn apart. Then I think the venom acts like some like of accelerant, and burn the pieces." James explained vacantly. "Before you ask, we're in here because the sun is about to rise. If they even so much as sense a vampire out on the daylight, then they'll save themselves the return trip and destroy them too."

"Destroy?" she repeated quietly to herself. In the darkness of the cave, she smiled ever so slightly; had he really just revealed to her how to kill a vampire? "So how long do you think they'll stay?" she asked, trying to steer his attention away from his mistake.

"Not long. They'll return to Italy as soon as they're done. They don't like being away from home for very long." James said with a bored sigh. "So, while we wait, I have an idea for how to pass the time."

"Oh God, you would find some way to turn this into another feeble attempt..." Victoria spat in annoyance. It was bad enough being crammed into this cave that was so small and narrow that even standing, there was only about a foot of free space between them, but having to share it with James was a nightmare.

"Well, Queenie, we could potentially die before the sun sets tonight." He said with a smirk, now lit by the dim light that was reflecting into the cave. The sun was slowly rising.

"Did it ever occur to you that the Volturi may want cover? And we just took up a cave to ourselves, which may potentially anger them as well?" Victoria suggested, trying to steer away from this topic (again).

"They got all this way without being seen. And they're smart enough to know how _not_ to get caught." He replied smoothly. "They are the Volturi, after all."

"Oh, right, I almost forgot." Victoria replied sarcastically.

"So it's just you, me, and the cave." He said in a sultry voice. "And you still have to do everything I say."

"If we could potentially die, then why not earn yourself some salvation and release me from my imprisonment?" she fired back, shoving him hard into the wall. There was a loud grumble from above their heads, and a large boulder fell onto the floor towards the entrance.

"Three things Queenie." James chuckled. "One: unless you want to be trapped in here with me for even longer, don't do that again." Victoria made a face at him and rolled her eyes. "Two, vampires don't go anywhere after they die. They just die. There is no heaven, no hell; only death." He explained to her in a patronizing voice. Victoria felt her face go blank at the thought of not going anywhere after she died... of just _dying_. "And three, I never said we would die, only that we might. And if you make me angry while we're here, I'll run right up to David and pull him apart limb by limb, no matter how much you beg me." He said in a sing-song voice that made her want to throttle him with a barrage of punches. Unfortunately, the cave was likely to collapse if she struck him again, and although him being suck in here would save David, it would only torture her.

"I really, _really_ hate you, James." She snarled at him.

"And I really, _really_ love when you say my name with so much passion." He teased her. Victoria hissed at him and pushed herself as close to the wall as she could, trying to get away from him. "A few inches is not going to make any difference to me."

"Oh, just say it!" Victoria finally snapped. James looked at her curiously for a moment, and she rolled her eyes at his act. "If you want it, then demand it! Stop dragging this charade out!"

"Say what, Queenie?" he teased with a smirk.

"You _know_ what, James!" Victoria snarled. "I am so sick of this slave and master thing that you take joy in inflicting on my every second! If we die tonight, then it's all the better for me!" she paused and look towards the door. "In fact..." she started, but James's bear-trap grip snapped out and held her against the wall.

"If you even so much as thinking of going out there into the sunlight, I'll-"

"What? Torture me more than you already do?" she sneered at him, trying to wriggle out of his grip again.

"I haven't even touched the tip of the iceberg on what would be torture." He growled beside her ear.

"Oh, well _that's_ comforting." She rolled her eyes, still struggling to get free.

"And you know I don't like to play the same game twice." He started in a slower, more vindictive tone. She stopped squirming for a moment as she waited for his inevitable quip that would no doubt explain what he meant. "So why would I force you again, right?"

"Because you're sick?" Victoria spat and gave him a shove back against the wall. The walls gave another rumble, but nothing fell this time. What was worse is that he snatched her arm and ended up pulling her with him. Victoria growled in anger, but before she could get up, he pinned her against the wall again.

"At least I'm not trying to get us buried alive." He chuckled, picking up a lock of her hair and giving it the usual sniff.

"I can't imagine how anyone could stand you." She snarled angrily. He didn't reply, so she took the chance to continue on in her vindictive rant "I'll bet Charlotte would be _thankful _if she saw what you've become that she was killed when you had the chance. No doubt you would torture her like you do to me. It must have been a selfless act to kill her; to spare her from the sadistic monster you really are."

"Careful what you say, Queenie." James warned as he lifted his face from her red curls. "You think that because I told you the summarized version of my life that you know everything about me?" He took the time to glare into her eyes in the reflection of the now bright sun shining through the small openings that the fallen rubble left. "I wouldn't suggest you base your theories about who I am off that."

"Well it matches everything else I know about you! Why else would you have killed your fiancé without even a scrap of remorse or emotional torment? How can you continue to drag me along behind you, despite the fact that you know I would rather be dead then be near you?" she hissed sharply, pushing him away from her, which he didn't seem to fight against.

"You answered both your questions in that statement, Queenie." He said without any expression. She narrowed her eyes and asked him to explain. "I had no remorse for my mortal fiancé that I barely knew and had no choice in marrying because I knew that someday I would find someone better." He said, taking a seat on one of the black, cool boulders across from her. She looked down at him with slight confusion; she wanted to make sure that she was hopefully hearing this _wrong_...

"So... you hunted for me?" Victoria asked slowly.

"Don't be so vain." He smirked. "You think you're the first pretty girl I've changed for my own motivation?" he chuckled.

"I would like to say that I am surprised by that, but I'm not..." she rolled her eyes and crossed her arms impatiently.

"But you know why I picked you, right?" he asked matter-of-factly. When she didn't answer, he continued "You were feisty; you continue to defend yourself against me to this day. And although loving a girl who depends on you for everything in life is nice for some men, it never has been for me."

"You're not a man; you're scum!" she sneered at him, then crossed her arms and looked towards the opening of the cave.

James chuckled to himself, knowing that it annoyed Victoria to no end. She demanded to know what he was laughing about, and with a smirk on his face, he made himself comfortable on his seat and lazily drawled his explanation. "Well the man in me doesn't like clingy women. That's what happened to all the others girls." He caught Victoria's dark glare of suspicion. "I had to rid myself of them as fast as possible before I went insane. So I destroyed them."

"Charming... were they as grateful as I would be in their situation?" she replied with a sneer.

"I don't know... you tell me." James said in a tone that meant no harm. But when he pounced on her from his seat a moment later, knocking her to the ground with his invincible hands around her throat, Victoria felt fear fly through her now potentially mortal body.

**(Strangers)**  
Despite the fact that she knew there was no way she could beat him, Victoria continued to fight back, feeling him trying to snap her neck as she tried to kick him off.  
"Am I proving my point yet? Or do I actually have to kill you to make you understand?" James growled as she fought back.

"Get. OFF. of. me!" Victoria managed despite his death grip on her throat. She could hear bones cracking in her neck, and at the same time, she could see James smile growing wider and wider.

"First you have to say please." He said, moving his face right against hers, adding salt to her wounds by licking the side of her face. In an instant, her body started to flail, desperate to be released from this trap.  
_  
He's too strong! I can't get him off! _She thought desperately as she clawed against his chest and arms as she tried to find a weakness. She could hear her neck cracking again, threatening to separate from the rest of her. _NO! I refuse to let him win this! He can't scare me... he wouldn't kill me, would he? _

Just as Victoria was about to give in to his violent attack, and let him think he's beaten her down again so she could escape, the light disappeared for a moment, like something ran by the cave entrance. In an instant, James was off Victoria and trying to get rid of whoever had discovered them in the cave.

"Wait, we're hiding too!" the man said with a French accent. James growled and Victoria could hear him pushing the same man against the wall.

"Hey, back off Fella! Unless you want the Volturi coming to see what all the racket's about, then by all means, keep going..." another man with an obviously southern accent said to James. Much to Victoria's surprise, James gave one final snarl, then backed off from the two intruders.

"What do you two want?" he demanded in a low, icy voice.

"Same thing you are, I gather." The southerner said calmly. "Trying not to anger the Volturi. They're killing off a coven right now, and we really don't want to get mixed up between _that_ situation."

"How did you know we were in here?" he asked with a little more interest. Victoria knew that tone; he was looking for an excuse to kill or kick out these two strangers.

"Well, for starters, I only see one person..." the southerner chuckled. It was at this point that Victoria realized that she was still laying on the ground. Upon hearing that someone else knew she was hear, she leapt at the opportunity to have a potential defence, and in a flash was trying to pummel James' head against the cave wall. There was inaudible shouting and yelling as James attempted to get her under his control again, while the other two tried to quiet their confrontation down. In a moment of weakness, Victoria reached down to grab James by his neck as he had just done to her, but he was too fast, and he grabbed her wrists, yanking her down onto the ground in front of him with so much force that she cracked the boulder she landed on in half.

"You were saying?" James said with a smirk, taking a handful of Victoria's hair and holding her as his prisoner again.

"My my... she's not too happy to be here, is she?" the southerner smiled slightly at Victoria, then gave a slightly darker look at James. "If only you could see the rage she feels towards you right now, I would get as far away as I could from her."

"Yeah, well if I needed advice from a hick, I would ask his name first." James replied without hesitation. The two strangers looked at each other, then the southerner extended his hand towards James.

"Name's Austin." He said smoothly. James looked at his hand for a moment, then cautiously shook it. "This is Laurent, my fellow traveler you might say." Now the taller, French man nodded his head, but was not as bold to extend his hand to James. "What are your names?"

"I'm James, and this is Queenie." James chuckled to himself as he pulled tighter on Victoria's hair so she had to look up at their guests.

"My NAME is Victoria!" she hissed, scratching James' hand, which at last released her hair with a hiss of anger.

"Your name is whatever I tell you it is, or I'll finished what I was going to do to you before we were so rudely interrupted." James growled. Victoria hissed sharply back, but didn't say anything. She got up from the floor and stood as far away as she could from James, arms crossed in frustration and bottled rage.

From her left, Austin gave a small chuckle, shaking his head slowly as he watched her. She turned her head and gave him a small glare, wondering what he thought was so amusing. "Something you want to share with the rest of us, _Austin_?" James demanded sharply. The southerner looked up, not shaken at all by his reaction.

"Like I said, if only you knew how much she wants to hurt you right now..." he smirked. Victoria smiled as she watched James' temper sky rocket in a single second, stepping forward and grabbing the mysterious vampire by his plaid shirt.

"Give me one reason why I shouldn't snap your head off!" he demanded. At last, Laurent said something after saying nothing since arriving.

"It's his gift." He said with a small sigh. "He can read other's emotions. It gets him into a fair amount of trouble when he doesn't explain."

"He speaks the truth, buddy. And what I'm reading from you is the urge for total domination and power, right? Trying to prove you're always the Alpha, are you?" Austin hypothesized aloud. Victoria expected James to put a new doorway in the cave with Austin's body, but instead, he just snarled at him and backed off. Austin smirked with triumph, and winked at Victoria. James caught the gesture and let out a full-out, predator growl. "You've just proven my point." Austin added quietly under his breath.

"And what can you do?" Victoria asked Laurent, trying very hard to hide her laughter towards James being called out.

"I can sense what living organisms are near me." He said with a heavy accent. Victoria furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, and she asked him to explain. "Well, for example, I can tell you that there are 4 vampires, 60 bats, and about 300 spiders in this cave alone. And there is 12 vampires outside in the forest nearby. Care to find out for yourself?" he chuckled.  
Victoria sniffed a quick laugh and shook her head. "No, I'll take your word for it." She paused and looked up at James, who was still in a death glare match with Austin. "I can see things from countless miles away."At this Laurent nodded his head in interest. "And my slave driver is a tracker." She added with far less enthusiasm. Once again, the French vampire looked very intrigued by James' gift. From her left, Victoria heard Austin chuckling again.

"My friend is curious about your gift, James." He said with a self-assured smile. It was at that moment that she realized that Austin wasn't afraid of James.  
_  
Hope on the horizon? _The thought had barely left her subconscious before Austin must have sensed it, and he turned and winked at her again.

"Back off, she's mine." James warned him through a locked jaw, baring his teeth through a vicious snarl. Victoria rolled her eyes, and once again Austin laughed at her emotions.

"Keep telling yourself that, buddy." He remarked smartly before he turn and found himself a seat on one of the bounders by the entrance, relaxing against the wall and pulling out an old, tattered book that he opened to a random page and began to read. Laurent shook his head slowly and also sat down, hanging his head like he was praying.

"Move it, Queenie." James demanded. Victoria looked up with no expression on her face... except for her eyes. In her eyes, she was projecting the message that she knew, and understood now, that there was no need to fear his threats anymore. She would use Austin as protection against her captor's advances and threats.  
_  
Just you try and kill me again... I'll show you a thing or two that this feisty girl can do..._

**_AN: ALRIGHT!  
Hopefully I'll update this fic soon!! Much sooner than I did for this chapter!!  
REVIEWS PLEASE! I work much faster with motivation from others :) Thanks again guys!_**


	6. Plans, Betrayal, Choices

**AN: _...I am SO SORRY this took so long to update! I know I'm a horrible person, but I had no idea where this story was going! Then I finally saw New Moon (I know, about time right!? lol), and was once again inspired! Hopefully I'll be able to finish this story soon... one or two more chapters to go, i think :)_**

OK!!! Here's the long awaited update!!! Sorry it took so long!! 

**(Plans) **  
The wait for sundown was the longest night Victoria had ever experienced. Maybe it was because James had a death grip on her ankle, like it was a ball and chain. Or maybe it was because having two complete strangers sitting in the cave with them was like sitting in a waiting room at a hospital; no one speaking, only occasionally clearing their throat.  
_This is maddening. _Victoria thought bitterly, shifting her leg again only to have James' bear-trap of a grip grow tighter on her ankle. She shot him an angry glare, then crossed her arms defiantly and stared out the cave door, watching the distant sun sink lower and lower in the sky. _And it doesn't help that I'm hungry. _She added mentally, letting out an annoyed sigh.

"Don't worry sugar; the sun will be down soon." Austin remarked from somewhere to the left of her. Victoria felt her mind perk up at the sound of someone else's voice. "And you and I will go hunting."

"She's not going anywhere with you." James remarked immediately. There was a moment of silence in the cave before the distinct chuckle of the Southerner was heard echoing off the cave walls. And as Victoria expected, the grip on her ankle grew even tighter.

_I wonder how fast Austin could kill him... I've never killed a vampire, so I don't know how much strength it would take, nor what the exact process is... but I'm sure he knows! Wonder if I could ask him... No, James never lets me out of his sight long enough to let me even speak to another creature... but if I could get away from him for just a few seconds... _Victoria was lost in her plotting for another 2 hours, trying to think of ways that she could slip away from James. She would only need a split second to whisper 'Kill him for me' into Austin's ear, and she was sure he would oblige.

By the time the sun set, and the 4 vampires were stretching their tired limbs, Victoria's hunger was almost unbearable.  
"Well Queenie, shall we go find you some food?" James whispered in her ear. Victoria instinctively pushed him away, and stalked away from him in a huff. Austin and Laurent only chuckled as she passed them, stepping out into the now dark forest. All around her, she could smell the scent of life and blood. But it was all animal blood. Feeling her stomach roll with anticipation, she turned back to the others, waiting for one of them to express a plan. James now emerged from the cave, taking a deep whiff of the fresh air. The dissatisfaction on his face told Victoria that there were no humans nearby.

"You," James said to Laurent, who was tying back his long hair with a ribbon, preparing to hunt evidently. "You said you can sense organisms? Where is the nearest human?"  
Laurent looked at James for a moment, then gave a quick glance to Austin before he too stepped out of the cave, closed his eyes and appeared to drift off into a trance for a few moments. Then, he opened his eyes and sighed.

"The nearest humans are a hundred miles away. In a north-western direction." He replied with his accent.  
James grumbled with dissatisfaction, then turned to Victoria. "Think you can make it that far?" he asked. Confused, she stared back at him, then laughed off his question.

"You mean before I eat you? Yes, probably." She remarked haughtily as she passed him, moving a bit closer to Austin. She made brief eye contact, in which he winked at her. The James came from behind and nudged her forward.

"Well, off we go then." He demanded. Victoria rolled her eyes, then set off into a run, hoping to get away from James. But, as usual, she could hear his strides right behind her.  
_God, will I ever be happy to be rid of him... _she thought with a sigh, leading the group down the mountain side, and in the direction that Laurent had suggested.

It took them almost to sunrise to catch up to the humans, once they found them, were a satisfying meal for all. A troop of boy scouts; young and fresh, just as Victoria liked them. Although she found she couldn't look at their little faces when she killed them, she was grateful that there was no one around to hear them scream. While James was distracted with the leader of the children, who was putting up quite a fight for a mortal, Victoria took the opportunity to jump across their campsite to Austin, who was just finishing a small ginger boy.

"Can you kill him?" she hissed quickly.

"Darling, I've been planning to since I met him." He replied with a smile. "You just gotta wait for the opportune moment."

"Oh... good!" she smiled brightly. Then, she put her finger to her lips, then silently jumped back to her spot, where she picked up an injured but still living adult, who she was not afraid to look at. As she sank her teeth into his throat, she watched James throw aside his 3rd course and move on to dessert.

_I'll be rid of you soon... I'll go back to David... Although, Austin is rather attractive... _ she thought to herself. At that moment, Austin lifted up his head, looked directly at her, then winked knowingly. _Shit, I forgot he could sense emotions...  
_From the corner of her eye, she saw Laurent suddenly stand, tossing his food aside, and an expression of fear in his eyes. He opened his mouth to say something, but Austin appeared at his side, and silenced him with a single word.

"There are more humans in the nearby town, if we're still hungry." Laurent said unevenly. Austin saw Victoria watching, then nodded his head at James, then gave her another wink. Instantly understanding the plan, she turned to James. "I'm actually still hungry."

"My my," James laughed "Got your appetite back again, I see?" he smiled, tossing aside the smallest child, now finished. "Well, I can't say I'm hungry, but Queenie gets so cranky when she's hungry" he said, now standing at her side, picking up a lock of her hair and giving it a quick sniff. Victoria shuddered, but didn't move. As far as she knew, it would be the last time she would have to endure him invading her personal space.

"Then it's settled." Austin said cheerfully "Let's go get us a drink before the night is done!" he laughed before he nodded to Laurent, and ran off into the woods.

"After you, Queenie." James whispered in her ear. Victoria rolled her eyes and stalked forward for a few feet before she took off into a full run.

They only ran for a few minutes before they arrived at a tiny town, located in the middle of the woods. There was a huge factory set up atop a hill, and the air stank of metallic fumes. A mining town.  
"Ah, perfect!" Austin said as he breathed in the scent of the air. "Lots of drunken miners to finish our night off with."

"We don't have much time." James remarked sourly. "The sun will be up in mere minutes."  
"Well, then we should get going, shouldn't we?" Victoria played along. James looked at her suspiciously, and she instantly turned away and started down the hill. Last thing she wanted was for him to see her plan written all over her face. As she skipped down through the trees, she saw that there was no actual movement in the town.

_Very strange for a town of industry workers... _She thought as she slowed her run to a walk. The others caught up with her, and they all walked slowly through the main street of the town.

There was no one moving in any of the houses, no cars driving on the road, no one walking around on the street that led up to the mine. It looked more like a ghost town then anything.  
"Are you sure there's people here?" Victoria question. James, now suspicious, took a deep inhale of the air.

"Well, if you get around the metallic scent of iron, you can smell some just up there." He remarked bitterly. "We haven't got much time. We should run."

"No!" Laurent shot back quickly "We can't run with the Volturi on the continent. If any human sees us, they will surely make a fuss."

"Well then let's get going!" Victoria huffed impatiently. "Surely we can speed walk without drawing any attention to ourselves." She suggested. James growled, but stalked ahead of the rest of them. Austin went next, giving Victoria a reassuring smile.

_Yes yes YES! Oh I can't wait! _Victoria thought anxiously. She ran to catch up to the others, almost singing with joy as she thought of Austin doing whatever he planned.

They crossed the town slower than they would normally, and by the time they reached the location of all the humans, James stopped dead in his tracks.  
"What are you doing?" Victoria asked, furrowing her brows together with impatience.

"The metallic smell is stronger..." James remarked slowly. Then turned on his heel at looked at the strangers. "All the people in there are dead already!" he growled angrily. He took one step forward, and was in the air, lunging at Laurent, who had led them there in the first place. Right at that moment, the sun suddenly appeared above the horizon, making all their skin shine brightly. Now that they knew that the entire town was dead, Victoria felt no fear in standing outside now.

"I don't understand. Why would you lead us to a town of dead people?" she demanded. Laurent, however, could not answer, since James was currently trying to rip off his head.

"Well, there was a small change in plan..." Austin said with a mischievous smirk. He then stared passed Victoria, and she felt compelled to turn and see what had caught his attention.

Through an incoming fog, there were faint figures, all of different sizes, and wearing long, dark robes. As they entered the clearing and the sun lit their faces, they all sparkled in the light as she did.  
_What the? _She thought in confusion.

"You damn hick! You led us into a trap!" James shouted, now tossing Laurent out of his grip and running over to Victoria, grabbing her arm and tugging her away. But then, like lighting, a huge vampire appeared beside them, blocking them from running.

"What's going on?" Victoria demanded, looking straight at Austin. He smiled that same reassuring smile before he answered her in the same, even and calm tone of voice.

"I said I'd kill him for you," he smiled even wider now "But I never said I wouldn't kill _you_."

**(Betrayal)**

Victoria felt a wave of panic and rage flow over her all at once. She had been tricked. And now she had to face what she could only assume were the Volturi. They looked much more threatening up close than from a distance. James tightened his grip on her arm, and positioned her as far away from Austin and the others.

"So, these are the missing members of your coven?" one of the central figures asked lightly, looking at both James and Victoria with cold eyes.

"Yes, they are." Austin said firmly. "They went running as soon as they heard you were in the area, but we caught up to them."

"He lies!" James shouted, but the huge vampire stepped forward and grabbed James by the shoulder, forcing him down onto his knees. He then places his hands around his neck and whispered 'Speak again, and you'll never speak again.'

"Are you sure these are your coven members?" one of the others members asked. The other two looked at the speaker curiously, then back to Austin.

"Yes, I am sure. They are James and Victoria, and they joined us over 50 years ago. They were some of the main orchestrators in the incident our coven was involved in China."  
James tried to speak, but the grip around his neck was so tight that he couldn't let any air pass through his vocal chords. He looked up at Victoria, who stared back nervously. Then, once she saw the fear in James' eyes, she understood what would happen if she didn't do something; she would never get the chance to kill him herself.

"He lies!" she called out. "We just met these men last night." She called as calmly as she could. Instantly, another guard was beside her, and suddenly she was in the same position that James was. She could feel his grip grow so tight on her neck that her vision was starting to go fuzzy. "Please, listen!" she breathed in desperation. She was on the verge of what felt like fainting now, and she hoped that whatever was coming would come swiftly and painlessly.

"Wait!" one of the leaders called. The guards grips stopped tightening, and a moment later actually were gone all together. Although they were still being held in a submissive position, the three men were now slowly walking towards them. Victoria felt a jolt of fear go through her, thinking that maybe they were going to kill them instead. And she had a feeling that it would be much worse than anything the guards could give to them.

"Are you sure, Marcus?" the one with black hair said to the other. He nodded his head, then said something in a European language that Victoria didn't understand, but recognized as Italian. "Well let us find out, shall we?" he remarked, stepping forward and the extending his hand in front of Victoria's face. "Give me your hand, please." He asked gently. Victoria looked at it, unsure if it was a trap or not. "I will not hurt you if you have nothing to hide." He added in the same tone. Now a bit more trusting, she slowly lifted her hand from where she had been trying to pry the guards hand off her throat and gently let it rest on his.

The man closed his eyes for a moment, and seemed frozen in thought. Victoria looked around nervously, and caught James' eye, who appeared just as worried as hers.  
"I see..." the man said slowly, stepping back from Victoria and letting go of her hand. "You are right, Marcus," he said lightly. "This man lies." He said, now looking directly at Austin.

Suddenly, the guards that were holding James and Victoria were now restraining Austin.  
"What!? My Lords, I have brought you the right people! Please, you cannot be fooled by their lies!" Austin pleaded.

"We are not fooled," the blonde vampire laughed. "_You _are the fool for thinking that you could fool us!"

Austin stared in confusion at the three men, and then the man with the black hair chuckled quietly. "You see, my friend, I can read every thought she has ever had now that I have touched her. And, for some reason, you are in only the last days worth."

"Not to mention, I can tell that you are all merely acquaintances, and are therefore not members of a coven." The vampire named Marcus added.

Now the blonde vampire smiled widely, and turned to his guards. "Kill him." He said simply. Then, in only seconds, Austin's head and limbs were separated, and a fire appeared out of the ground by some sort of magic, and the pieces were thrown in a pile within it.

The vampire with the black hair sighed, like he was finished his work for the day. But once he caught sight of Laurent, who was trying to stand as silently as he could off to the side, he chuckled and turned to the blonde man. "We missed one."

"No, wait!" Laurent said, raising his hands in defence. "Please, lire mon esprit!" he pleaded slipping into his native language out of sheer terror. The black haired vampire looked at his companions, the shrugged as he stepped passed Victoria and James, who now stood to their feet to see. He held out his hand to Laurent, who grasped it with both hands, clearly scared for his life now. There were a few moments of silence, and then the mind reader released his hand from Laurent's grip.

"He has been trying to leave the coven of Austin for some time, but was unable to because he would sense his betrayal." The man told the others. Laurent let out a sign of relief, and knelt down into a ball on the ground, once again appearing to be praying. The blonde one rolled his eyes and sighed angrily.

"Aro, are you trying to tell me that you made us stay out here and wait for another chance to deliver justice, only now to take it all back?"

"Caius, you got Austin, who was our main objective." Aro said with a small chuckle. "However, if you are in the mood for more bloodshed..." he said, now turning back to Victoria. "You'll be happy to know that I found the culprit behind all of those Middle East claims of the 'Red devil'." He said with a smirk.

"What?" Victoria asked in confusion. Now, once again, she had the guards grip tight around her throat. She struggled, frantically digging her nails into the guard's skin, but it was doing nothing.

**(Choices)**

"Yes, you caused a lot of trouble a few months ago, didn't you?" Aro said patronizingly. "Such a shame to be cleared of one crime, only to be sentenced for another, isn't it?" he asked. Victoria stared back with eyes of fear; had she known at the time that this force would hunt her down and kill her for her behaviour, she would have never done it! She always thought that James was just lying about all of this stuff to scare her.... Well, now she really was scared!

"If I may, my lords." James suddenly said from beside her, standing calmly beside her as the life was being strangled out of her. The three men looked at him curiously, then let him speak.

"I was her maker, and I'm afraid that she escaped from me when she was a newborn before I could teach her the proper ways of being a vampire." He said flatly. The three men exchanged looks, then stared at James. "We all know how fickle and instinctual newborn's are, but she has passed that stage now, I can assure you. And I won't be letting her out of my sights again."

"And how can you hope to do that when she plots to kill you every second you're near her?" Aro laughed, amused at her thoughts as he scanned through them again.

"She has had many opportunities to kill me, but has failed to do so yet." James remarked simply.

"Well, this is true..." he said slowly. "Then again, it was probably because she didn't know how to..."

"With all due respect then, my lords, but why would you deprive her the satisfaction then?" he asked calmly. Marcus now looked very intrigued, and stepped one step closer. "If she has been waiting this long, then why not let her have her chance?" he added.

"Ooo, this is interesting!" Caius laughed. "Oh, I like this Aro! Let us take him up on his offer!" he smiled wickidly. "Let her kill him first!"

_What!? Is THAT what James is trying to do!? But I don't understand! _Victoria thought frantically, looking at James with confusion and fear. She didn't want this to be some trap he was trying to figure out without her knowing it!

"He loves her." The vampire named Marcus announced suddenly. Now my vision was drawn to that man, who was staring at James. "He is trying to sacrifice himself so that he may follow her to the Underworld."

Aro and Caius looked at each other, then to James, who was standing there with his typical smug and calm expression. "Interesting how he would sacrifice yourself for someone who would rather destroy you than be on the same planet as you." Aro remarked curiously. "Believe me, I have seen all her plans in her head; they are quite vicious."

"What can I say? I like the hunt." James said, cracking a smile. The three men exchanged looks again, then muttered something in Italian to each other.

"Alright, this sounds like an interesting punishment." Caius said, waving his hand lightly. The grip around Victoria's neck was now gone, and she fell to the ground. "Well, my dear, there you have your last request." He said, motioning for some of the others guards to bring forth 3 thrones. All the men sat down together, and faced Victoria and James. "Off you go!" he said with a small chuckle.

Victoria now turned her head to see James, who was standing there, waiting for her to stand. He didn't look the least bit afraid of her, nor did he look angry. In fact, he looked morbidly happy about being killed by her!

_Sick fetishes right to the end... _She thought as she slowly stood from the ground. She wiped the dirt off her knees, then looked around skitterishly at the audience she now had. _No pressure, I see... _she thought bitterly.

"Why are you doing this?" she hissed at him under her breath.

"They can hear you, Queenie. You may as well just say everything out loud for their entertainment." He said with a small chuckle. "And I'm doing this because it's what I want."  
Victoria took a step forward, then paused again. "Is what he said true?" she said, nodding to Marcus, who was sitting just off to her right.

"I should think so." James smirked. "After all, he is a Volturi; they are exceptionally gifted."

"Then why would you want me to kill you?" she demanded, taking another step forward.

"Because I want to make you happy." He said simply. She stared at him, expression so confused and yet shocked that it appeared blank. "Being near you has made me happy. Chasing you has made me happy. So therefore, I feel as though I need to give you something back." He said with a sincere smile. Then, it faded slightly, into a much more sombre expression. "I took away everything in your mortal life that made you happy, and you have punished me every day for it. So, since I can't bear to live without you, I want to give you something that will make you happy."

"Can you please get on with it!" Caius called impatiently from his throne. "Some of us would like to get home sometime this century, thank you."

Victoria looked nervously over her shoulder, then back to James, who had resumed his smile. "Better not keep them waiting, Queenie."

"Why do you want to die!" she demanded in a hiss "You told me that when a vampire dies, there is nothing! We just cease to exist!"

"Well, I don't know that for sure." James said with a small shrug. "And if there's a chance that I will get to chance you for all eternity, and be in the presence of such a wild and beautiful woman, then I'll take it." He admitted.

Victoria stared back at him. She felt that she was unable to move, though her newborn instincts were ravenous for revenge against James. All the rage that she had been bottling up against him was almost about to be relieved. All she had to do was reach out and kill him. And yet, despite being so close at last, she found that his words were stopping her.

"Now!" Caius shouted impatiently from behind her, making her jump with surprise. Two guards stepped into her view, and she felt her feet run up to James, who was now standing right in front of her. He smiled, and then lowered himself down onto his knees, still staring at her. He held out his arms, showing his submission, but all the while, he was still staring her directly in the eyes. Victoria felt frozen again, and forced her eyes away from his gaze; she had to do this.

_He gave you a gift, whether you're willing to admit it or not. _She thought, coming to a realization. _And if you kill him, you'll be alone in the world...he's followed you, kept you company, and apparently tried to protect you... Can I really kill him? _

She reached out her hands and placed them around his neck. She knew that she wasn't nearly as experienced as the guards were, and therefore it would probably not be a quick and painless death. She tried to tighten her grip in order to rip his head off, but she found that her hands wouldn't close. Now shaking, she looked back down into James' eyes, and felt a shudder of fear go through her. Not a fear of death, but a fear of being alone... of losing James?

"You love me?" she breathed, barely audible to even her.

"Why do you think I chose you, out of all your family, to save with the gift of immortality?" he said with another rare sincere smile. "I wanted something as beautiful as you to live forever, and be the goddess that you truly are. A true Queen."

Her hands were shaking so much now that the tremors had spread to her whole body, making her knees weak. Had she still had a heart beat, she was sure that it would be racing. If she still needed to breathe, she was sure that it would be choked up behind a lump on her throat. She hadn't felt this human even when she _was_ human. Without warning, her hands dropped to her side, and she closed her eyes in defeat.

"I can't." she whispered.

"What!?" Caius shouted, clearly angry that he was being deprived of the show.

"The relationship has changed." Marcus interrupted. There was silence between the three of them. Victoria, understanding that she had put off her sentence for too long already, turned back to the Volturi, and waited.

The three men stared back at her for a few moments. Caius looked agitated, and was hissing to Aro that he demanded some sort of justice be delivered. But Marcus whispered something to Aro at the same time, and the black haired vampire apparently liked the latter option.

"Well, you have proved useful in the destruction of the final member of a coven we have been hunting for some time..." Aro said slowly. "I suppose we can grant you a pardon from your crimes."

"Aro!" Caius growled, but Aro held up a single hand to silence him.

"But take heed from this, Victoria," he said, now staring intently into her eyes. "We do not give second chances. So use this pass wisely." Then, he and Marcus stood in sync, and started to walk towards the ominous fog that they had appeared from. Caius sat in his throne for a few seconds longer, glaring angrily at Victoria and James. Then, with one slam of his fist, he stood and followed his friends.

Victoria watched in shock as the crowd of cloaked figures disappeared back into the fog, which then lifted and revealed a dense forest behind it. She still felt as though she could not move, but slowly the fear was fading away.

"Told you you'd warm up to me someday." James remarked from behind her. She turned around to see him still kneeling on the ground.

"I still think you're an ass." She said stubbornly. James laughed, and then jumped up from the ground.

"I wouldn't have it any other way." He smiled as he passed her. "Now, what to do with you?" he asked, now looking passed her at Laurent, who had stayed silent all through the drama. "You were, no doubt, involved in luring us into this trap."

"I had no choice." He said calmly. "Austin would kill me if I had given him any sense of my disobedience. I tried to stop him, but he said he would give me up instead if I didn't go along with it."

"Ah, so you're a coward?" James remarked smartly.

"Well, I am no leader." He said sheepishly. "But I am a loyal servant to one who is worthy." He added cautiously. James said nothing, and so he continued. "Let me join you, and I will help you hunt." He offered. "Together, all of us will be a lethal team. No human will stand a chance against us."

James still said nothing. Then, he turned to Victoria. "Well, what do you think? Should we let him tag along?"

Victoria looked back at him for a moment, then sighed. "Well, it would be nice to have someone else to talk to other than you." She said lightly.

"Very true." James chuckled. "Alright, fine. You're in, but under my rules." He said, taking steps forward towards the forest. "And your first job is to tell us how many of those humans in there are still edible." He said, pointing to the large building labelled town hall, where apparently all the citizens had gathered and perished together.

"Only about 20 of them are starting to decay; the maggot population is very low in the room so far." Laurent replied, his voice sounding much more like itself.

"Good. It will last us through the day." He said, starting towards the shelter. "Coming out of the sun, Queenie?" he called. Victoria looked back at the forest that the Volturi disappeared into.

_Second chances are rare indeed..._ she thought. Then, with a sign, she followed James and Laurent into their hide out from the sun.

**AN:_ REMEMBER! THE MORE REVIEWS I GET, THE FASTER I WORK :D_**


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